Through the Hurts
by thepurplewriter333
Summary: Requested one-shots about Hiccup!whump. **NEW CHAPTER** The Angel Had An Axe- When Hiccup is kidnapped by Viggo, wounded, and nearly killed, a certain blonde comes to his rescue. And she'll get him out of there, no matter what the consequences. Because what blonde doesn't have an axe to help her out? Requested by Funtasticme
1. Breathe

**Breathe-** (Set sometime during season one of Dragons: Riders of Berk to season two) Hiccup has a phantom pain, and Astrid takes care of him. Lots of Hiccstrid! Requested by FanWriter02.

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"Thanks for coming over," Hiccup said as Astrid entered his home, smiling despite the pouring rain from outside. "I'm not sure why Dad was so insistent on me not being alone. He's only going away for a few days."

It was true. The Berkian chief had to go to a peace meeting which took place all the way over on Meathead Island. Because of the long flight and length of the meeting, Stoick wouldn't return for several days, leaving Hiccup alone. Of course, the overprotective father wasn't going to leave Hiccup unsupervised. No.

So, he asked Astrid to keep an eye on him.

"He's been hiding something from me lately," Stoick had told Astrid, preparing to leave the harbor on Thornado. "I don't like it. Would you mind watching him tonight?"

"Of course," Astrid had agreed. She was worried about her friend as well.

And that was how Astrid came over to Hiccup's hut that night, even though it was pouring rain and freezing.

"I don't mind at all," Astrid replied, squeezing out her wet hair. "Besides, we haven't really talked a lot lately. You're always busy with the Dragon Academy or flying with Toothless. It'll be good to have some quality time together."

Hiccup smiled back nervously. "Sure… make yourself at home."

Astrid looked around Hiccup's home as she walked inside. Hiccup closed the door behind her. "Nice place," the girl said, plopping herself down on a rocking chair. "What do you want to talk about first?"

 _Yes, Hiccup, what are you hiding?_ she thought.

Hiccup sighed, limping over.

Wait a second. Limping?

Astrid did a double take. Yes, Hiccup was indeed limping, which was weird because he almost never did. After all, why would he? His prosthetic leg was working just fine. "Are you okay, Hiccup?" she asked, straightening in her seat.

Hiccup winced, and sat down in a chair at the other side of the room. "Yeah, I'm fine!" He forced a smile, acting like everything was fine. But the truth was, Hiccup was having a phantom pain.

Phantom pains were the worst part of having a prosthetic. Not only did hurt so much that it would bring tears to his eyes, but, ODIN was it annoying. And Astrid was here… he couldn't let her know. He had to pretend like everything was fine.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" Hiccup asked, changing the subject. _Now I just have to wait for her to stop worrying._

"Nothing really. Just hanging out at the Academy with Stormfly, trying out some new stuff."

"Ah." There was an uncomfortable silence, but it was soon broken by the sound of Hiccup grimacing. Oh, gods, his leg hurt…

 _Make it stop, please, make it stop._

"Hiccup?" Astrid stood up from the chair, her eyes wide. "I knew you weren't all right. It's your leg… it's hurting, isn't it?

Hiccup swallowed, using all his willpower to not cry out again. "Um, no."

Astrid glared daggers. "Don't you lie to me, Hiccup," she warned, coming over to him. "Or you'll face the wrath of Astrid Hofferson." She paused, noticing Hiccup's face scrunched up in pain. "You're having a phantom pain… aren't you?" That could be her only guess for how Hiccup was reacting right now.

Hiccup stopped before answering. "No, I'm-" He yelped, a wave of pain shooting through his left leg. He couldn't help but grip it in pain, hissing when Astrid touched his arm. _No, he couldn't be weak in front of her…_

Astrid bit her lip, full of worry. She had never personally been around when Hiccup was having a phantom pain, and _especially_ not when she was alone. From what Stoick had told her about them, she knew they weren't good. _I need to help him through this,_ she thought, nodding. _I'll get him through the night._

Hiccup let out another cry of pain. It was like a knife to the heart to Astrid's ears. Her friend was suffering.

"So," she began, starting to massage Hiccup's shoulders to get him to relax. "What does your dad usually do for you during phantom pains? What makes you feel better?"

Hiccup loosened up a little, but he still was tense from the agony raging in his leg. "W-well, he usually helps me up to bed, and, uh…" He trailed off, embarrassed. "Forget it, it's silly. I'm fine!"

"Hiccup, Hiccup, it's okay," Astrid assured him. "Just breathe. Everything will be fine. You can tell me what helps."

The boy winced, clutching his leg tighter than before. "H-he... tells me stories. Mostly of when I was a child. S-some of them are the most r-ridiculous things I've ever heard." He chuckled lightly, but it soon faded. "Like, when I was three, Dad took me fishing, but I went hunting for trolls instead. A-and one other time, I was so scared of the rain that I believed it was a poison from Odin, and I wouldn't leave my father's side until he coaxed me asleep."

Astrid smiled. That _did_ sound like the young Hiccup would have acted. The Hiccup she never took the time to know… the Hiccup that she had never stuck up for… Astrid shook her head. Blaming herself for the past wasn't going to help anything.

"Let's get you upstairs, okay?" Astrid said, helping Hiccup stand.

Hiccup gritted his teeth, clearing fighting back all the pain he was feeling. "Sure." He paused. "You don't have to do this, you know. I'm probably just a bother… you should go back home. It's late, and I'll be fine." He smiled tightly, but Astrid wasn't swayed.

"Are you kidding? It's pouring rain outside and you're all alone, having phantom pains. No way. You're stuck with me, Hiccup, whether you like it or not," Astrid threatened, assisting Hiccup limp up to the beginning of the stairs. "Now for the hard part. Going up."

Hiccup shrugged, still gripping his leg. "It shouldn't be that bad. I've done this hundreds of times before."

"But with phantom pains…?"

"It'll be fine!"

Unfortunately, Hiccup was wrong. It took twenty minutes to get the boy upstairs, and several more minutes to get him inside his room. By the time Astrid had gotten Hiccup to sit down in bed, he was covered in sweat and shivering.

Astrid felt guilty. _I hope I didn't make it worse._

"Thanks," grunted Hiccup, scooting up in his bed. "I guess I never could have made it up here without your help… I'm sorry for telling you to leave before."

Astrid tipped her head, leaning against the wall. "You're forgiven. Now, is it story time or what?"

Hiccup reddened. "O-oh… I didn't mean that you had-"

"Shut up and listen," Astrid sighed. Hiccup was going to wear himself down too much if he continued refusing help. He already looked too pale, and Astrid wondered if he had a fever.

So she began her story. It began with a little blonde viking girl who spent the first fifteen years of her life practicing with her ax to kill dragons. She grew up with the other viking children as well, but one was… different.

His name was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Son of Stoick the Vast, Chief of the Berkians. Hiccup had always been different from the other children… but not always in a bad way. He was highly intelligent- anyone could see that- and he knew when something was too reckless to try out, unlike the other vikings.

And over time, the blonde viking girl found herself almost… jealous. Hiccup, though he had no muscle at all, and could be mistaken for a walking fishbone at times, was special. Astrid learned that she was not. She was exactly like the other vikings: stubborn, rude at times, and mean to Hiccup.

But once the viking girl had gotten to know Hiccup… he wasn't so bad. Sure, he wasn't the strongest or the loudest viking in the crowd, but he always knew exactly what to say to cheer her up, or what to do when everyone else was picking on him.

And the viking girl- Astrid Hofferson-, loved him for that.

When Astrid finished the story, she looked over at Hiccup. He was fast asleep, and had a shining smile upon his face. Astrid felt content with her work. She had done her job by taking care of Hiccup.

With a soft, "Goodnight," she left the room, making sure the door was slightly open in case Hiccup needed anything else.

But even if he did, she would be right there, waiting for him until he woke up.

* * *

 **First story done! YES! *dances around like a maniac***

 **There'll be more coming soon, so keep a look out!** **And also, I'm not really sure where Toothless was during all of this. By the time I finished the story, I had written him out... :) But Hictooth will be coming sometime in the following chapters, so don't worry. :)**

 **As always, feel free to leave requests below!**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	2. Not Hiccup

**Not Hiccup-** In the episode "Not Lout" from RTTE Season 4: During the rider's practice run when Snotlout started freaking out, he accidentally launched the barrel at Hiccup and Toothless. What if Meatlug didn't blast the barrel in time, and Toothless and Hiccup fell? Requested by katurdi.

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 **Second chapter today, I'M READY! :)**

 **Thanks for reviewing and viewing the first chapter! Hope you guys like this one too!**

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It was Snotlout's first time leading a mission, and he wasn't doing well.

He had put himself in charge of dropping and shooting the target, but Snotlout was struggling to do anything at all. Parts of his dream the night before haunted him, and his mind raced for what to do.

"Drop it. No, don't drop it, Hookfang!" he shouted.

Hookfang snarled, flapping around in confusion.

Suddenly Spitelout's voice came out of Hookfang's mouth: "You wanna be like your old man? A great leader takes what's rightfully his!"

Hookfang growled again.

"Drop it now, Hookfang!" yelled Snotlout.

But the other Dragon Riders were to close for it to be safe. "Look out!" Hiccup warned the others as Snotlout and Hookfang hurdled towards them, accidentally flinging the barrel straight at Toothless.

Toothless tried to plasma blast the barrel into bits, but it was too close… and the barrel smacked right against Hiccup and Toothless, sending them falling to the ground like a rock in water. Everyone watched in horror as the rider and his dragon crashed into the dirt.

"Hiccup!" Astrid cried. "Stormfly, down!"

Fishlegs whimpered, following after her. "Oh Thor, oh Thor, oh Thor…," he murmured.

The twins and Snotlout flew down to the ground as well. Snotlout tried to remain unfazed and annoyed with the unpleasant 'interruption', but he actually felt guilty for his actions. _He might have killed them…!_

And if he had… Snotlout shivered, for two different reasons. (1) He never wanted to kill his friends-though with Ruff and Tuff it was tempting at times-. (2) Astrid's fury was a thing you'd only want to face once in your lifetime. It was enough to scar someone for years to come.

When Hookfang landed on the grass next to the others, Snotlout froze, horrified.

Hiccup had been thrown off of Toothless's back because of the blast from the barrel, and he laid unmoving several feet away from his dragon. Toothless, on the other hand, seemed to just have minor injures. The only wounds the dragon had attained were a bruised side and a sure headache the next morning. He was fine, but...

Hiccup wasn't moving.

Astrid, jumping off Stormfly, raced up to the boy, her eyes wide with fear. "Hiccup! HICCUP!" she yelled, beginning to shake him in an attempt to get him out of his unconscious state. "Please wake up, please wake up!"

Hiccup groaned in pain, relieving Snotlout from some of the guilt of 'killing Hiccup.' Still, Snotlout knew that Hiccup was severely injured, and it was all his fault.

All. His. Fault.

"My… head hurts," Hiccup moaned, wincing at Astrid's touch.

Astrid grimaced, seeing a deep cut on the side of Hiccup's head, oozing with blood. She quickly stood up, and looked at the other riders with intensity. "We need to bandage Hiccup's head and assist to any other injuries he's sustained. Come on, let's get moving! Hiccup's hurt!"

Everyone scurried about, eager to find something that would help Hiccup- all except Snotlout. All he could do was… stare.

Fishlegs soon found a cloth in his satchel and tossed it over to the awaiting Astrid. Astrid didn't take a moment to hesitate, and pressed the cloth to Hiccup's head. "Hiccup? Does anything else hurt you? We need to know."

Hiccup peeked open his eyes. "I think my arm-" He winced, sending more guilt into Snotlout. "I think it's broken… must have been the fall… I landed on it pretty heavily when I was tossed from Toothless."

Toothless snorted, finally regaining his senses. The dragon had been too dazed to come over to Hiccup before, but now he was up and ready to take care of his rider… _and_ take revenge upon the person who did this: Snotlout.

But his rider needed him now, and Toothless didn't have time for his silly revenge, no matter how tempting it was. He raced over to Hiccup, licking his face.

Hiccup laughed, trying to push Toothless away. "Toothless, it's okay. I'm… I'm fine."

"You don't _look_ fine," Astrid pointed out.

Snotlout finally decided to speak. He wanted to say something like, " _I'm sorry, Hiccup,"_ or " _Can you forgive me?"_ , but he ended up saying: "Dragon Boy says he's fine, Astrid. All he got was one little cut, and maybe a bruised bone here or there! It's not like the world is ending!"

For a moment, there was silence.

The next, Snotlout was screaming as Astrid tackled him.

* * *

That night, Hiccup was in his room, having a large bandage on the side of his head and his arm in a sling. The arm wasn't broken, thank Thor, just dislocated. Astrid had had her share of dislocated shoulders, and she set it back into place easily.

 _Not_ so easily for Hiccup. He was yelping through the whole thing.

Finally, after a whole day of being hovered around by Astrid, Hiccup was left alone with Toothless, ready to fall asleep. Hiccup couldn't stop yawning as he put his drawing book on his nightstand. He couldn't wait to have a nice, long, healing rest.

But just as Hiccup was about to blow out the candle light, a knock came from his door. Hiccup frowned. He had told Astrid to leave him be for the night, so it shouldn't have been her. _Who was it?_

"Come in," Hiccup said tentatively.

The door slowly opened, and there stood…

Snotlout.

Hiccup felt surprised. He hadn't expected Snotlout to show his face for another week or two, based on his outburst earlier. And Astrid had given him a not-so-pretty black eye that would make anyone want to go in hiding for weeks.

But Snotlout had shown up, and he had something to say.

"Hey," he slowly muttered, avoiding Hiccup's gaze.

Hiccup raised his brow. "Hey. Do you… need anything?"

Snotlout shook his head, now looking at the floor. "Hiccup, I came to…" He swallowed, his arms shaking. _This is the big, thing, Snotlout. You've been practicing all afternoon for this._ "I came to apolo-" He stopped himself, biting his lip. "Apolo... "

"Apologize?"

"Well… yes!" Snotlout exasperated, leaning against the wall. "Hiccup, I didn't mean what I said earlier. I was too reckless in training, and you almost died because of me. Truth is…" He cut himself off. Was he finally going to say this?

Hiccup raised his eyebrow, and Toothless grunted with confusion. "The truth is what?" Hiccup asked, ready for a snarky comeback.

Snotlout sighed. "The truth is… I wouldn't have liked it if you if you died. And I would never stop feeling guilty for what I did… and Astrid probably would never let me forget either…" He breathed out when he finished, relieved. There. He had finally said it.

Hiccup's eyebrows shot up. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Snotlout?"

Snotlout threw up his hands in defense. "Hey!" He paused, unable to argue any more. "Just don't tell anyone that I actually 'care' what happens to you, okay? It'd ruin my reputation, and I pride myself on my awesomeness."

Snorting, Hiccup crossed his arms. " _You_ have a reputation? I'd like to see the sign up list for that…"

Snotlout grumbled something that Hiccup was unable to hear, and then he finally looked Hiccup in the eye. "Look, I'm sorry for what I did, and I need to ask… can you forgive me? I know I did some bad stuff, but…" He trailed off.

Hiccup smiled. "It's okay, Snotlout. I forgive you."

"Really? Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Snotlout looked relieved. "Thanks, Hiccup."

"Sure. Now, are you ready to start training again next week when I've healed? This time, though, I think we'll start out with something easier," Hiccup laughed, wincing when his head pounded.

Snotlout seemed confused. "Why would you ever let me do something so important again? I hurt you. Don't you think that I'll do it again? Really, Hiccup, you shouldn't trust me anymore… it's for your own good."

Hiccup shook his head, amused with Snotlout's reaction. "Snotlout, _everyone_ deserves a second chance. Even someone as thick-headed as you. I trust that you will act better in training the next time."

Shocked, Snotlout straightened. "Thank you, Hiccup. Feel better." He left the room.

Toothless rumbled, annoyed with Snotlout's disturbance. With a few grunts, he lit up his rock and collapsed, his eyes fluttering shut. But Hiccup did not go to bed just yet. He was still smiling from Snotlout's confessions.

"You're a good kid, Snotlout," he muttered, blowing out his candle.

"Even if you don't see it yet... you're still good."

* * *

 **BADABOOM. Finished!** **Thank you, katurdi, for giving me this idea! :)** ***blows kisses out***

 **Hope you liked it, guys! And if you want a story idea of your own to go up here, PM me, and I'll write it as fast as I can!**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	3. Dancing in the Rain

**Dancing in the Rain-** Set in S2 of Dragons. After a fight with his father, Hiccup is feeling down. Luckily Astrid knows something that will cheer him up. Lots of Hiccstrid fluff! Suggested by my sister, THOR HELP HER.

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"I thought I told you to bring my boots inside before it rained!"

"How was I supposed to know it was going to rain?"

"You're a Viking- you should have known!"

It was another day in the Haddock home, and Stoick and Hiccup were having a nasty altercation. Stoick had left his boots out in the morning so they could air out and had asked Hiccup to bring them inside later on. Unfortunately, it had started to rain, leaving Stoick's once pristine boots now soggy lumps.

Stoick was furious. Boots didn't come dropping out of the sky. It took Gobber nearly two weeks to come up with a pair, and Vikings usually just needed one pair each.

And Hiccup had ruined his father's set.

"Dad, I was busy at the Academy!" Hiccup protested, throwing his hands up. "You knew I was going to be there all day! And the storm came from out of nowhere. Don't blame me for something that was uncontrollable!"

It was true. The sudden storm had rolled in with little warning a half hour ago. No one could have predicted it. Not even Stoick the Vast, Hear His Name and Tremble, Ugh, Ugh. Of course, Stoick was too angry to realize that.

"There's no one else to blame, Hiccup!" Stoick said, his eyes angrier than usual. "You made a mistake and you won't even admit it!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes. THOR, his father could be stubborn. Once Stoick settled on an opinion of his- usually born out of anger-, it was law. "Dad, I'm sorry! Is that what you want to hear? Gods, I hope it is, because I really can't take any more of your shouting!"

Stoick rubbed his nose, refusing to back down even the slightest bit. "No, that is not what I wanted to hear!" he boomed, nearing his breaking point. "What I wanted was for you to do as you're told for once! Is it really that hard to get you to listen?"

Hiccup glared, a thing he rarely ever did. Here he was, getting blamed for something that was entirely NOT his fault. It was typical for Stoick to react like this- but Hiccup had had enough. "Well, now it is, because I'M NOT LISTENING ANYMORE!" Hiccup shouted, stomping out of his home with a hard slam of the door. He barely cared that he had left Toothless alone with his father inside, and started to walk away.

Hiccup heard Stoick yell, "Hiccup! Get back here! I'm not finished yet!"

 _Well, I am,_ Hiccup thought, kicking a rock in the rain. He kept on walking until he arrived in town. It was abandoned because of the relentless rain. Hiccup shivered, pulling his vest tighter around him. _Maybe I should go back..._

But the anger towards his father heated him up once again. No, he wasn't going back. Not until Stoick calmed down and admitted his mistakes... which was as likely as Thor himself coming down from the sky. Of all the stubborn, hard headed Vikings, Stoick was the-

Suddenly, Hiccup felt a hand press down on his shoulder, and he jolted, turning around.

It was Astrid.

For some reason, Hiccup felt beyond relieved that she was there. Finally someone that would actually listen to him. Finally someone who could relate to everything he said and not interrupt in the process. Astrid.

"What are you doing out on this cheerful day, m'lady?" Hiccup said sarcastically, gesturing to the downpour around them.

Astrid removed her hand from his shoulder, her blonde bangs dripping from the rain. "I heard you and your father fighting- the whole village probably heard it- and I thought I should check up on you." She paused, rubbing the back of her head. "Do you want to talk about it? Are you okay?"

Hiccup nodded, heaving a sigh. "I'm fine. I'm just... angry with my father right now. I accidentally left his boots out in the rain and now they're ruined... but I hadn't known there was a storm coming." He grew desperate, fearing that Astrid did not believe him. "Honest, I never would have-"

"Shhh, Hiccup," Astrid said, putting a finger against his lips. "It sounds like you want to talk about it. But, seeing as we're standing here in the rain, it's probably not the best idea to do it like this."

"Probably," Hiccup agreed, happy that Astrid would talk with him about his father issues. "Where do you want to go?"

Astrid lowered her hand, looking michevious. "Who said we had to go anywhere? Let's talk while we... dance. Yes, we can dance. It's a good way to relieve stress."

Hiccup reddened, visibly forcing himself to not back away. "D-dance? Um, it's raining, Astrid. It's not going to be the most enjoyable conversation."

Astrid laughed, grabbing Hiccup's hands. "Come on, it'll be fun! We'll be dancing in the rain. I've always wanted to try it out, you know," she said, putting one of her hands on Hiccup's shoulder and the other one gripped in his hand. "You ready?"

Hiccup swallowed. "I guess."

And they slowly started to dance.

"So," said Astrid, like it was the most normal thing in the world to be dancing in the middle of a storm, "what's the problem with you and your father? When I see you guys in public, you both seem close. Why does it change all of the sudden?"

Hiccup bit his lip. "Whenever we get into a fight like this, Dad never listens to what I have to say. I-it's like we're having a one sided conversation."

Astrid nodded, understanding, and she thought for a moment. "One sided conversation, huh? That can be tough. Have you tried talking to your father about it? Maybe he'd stop if you told him-"

"Like I said. One sided conversations. I'm running out of options, Astrid." Miserable, he sighed, forgetting that he was being drenched with rain. "I know this only happens every so often, so it shouldn't bother me... but it does. I don't like fighting with my dad. It brings back old memories to when I was Hiccup the Useless."

Wincing at Hiccup's old nickname, Astrid lost her step in the dance, but Hiccup steadied her. Astrid smiled. "Thanks. And I know this is hard for you. Fighting with parents is definitely not one of my favorite things."

"Definitely," echoed Hiccup.

"How about, once your dad cools down, you explain how you feel?" Astrid suggested, eager to help her friend. "I'm sure he'd listen to that. He always wants to know if something is wrong or bothering you. Believe me, he does," she chuckled at the memories of overprotective-father Stoick, anxious to check up on his son after a battle or a bad sickness.

"Are you sure?" Hiccup asked. "Do you really think he would listen for once?"

Nodding, Astrid beamed. "I think he would." She shivered, realizing just how cold standing out in the freezing rain was getting to be. "I think you should go back to your father now, Hiccup. He's going to be worried if you don't come back soon."

Hiccup sighed, but knew that Astrid was right. However, that didn't make agreeing with her any easier. "Okay. Can you come with me, though? I don't want to face Angry-Dad alone."

Astrid's eyes flashed in amusement. "Of course I will. I wouldn't have it any other way. Come on, let's get out of here before we get soaked enough to be sick tomorrow." She broke apart from Hiccup, and the teens started to run back to Hiccup's house.

When they got there, the Haddock house door was flung open before Hiccup had a chance to knock. Stoick stood in the doorway, his face shedding into relief at the sight of his son. He wrapped the boy into a giant hug. "Oh, Hiccup, I'm so sorry for what I said before," Stoick apologized. "I was too caught up in my anger to realize that I was being unfair to you."

"Can't... breathe," Hiccup gasped, struggling to get out of his father's bear hug.

Stoick pulled away, embarrassed. "Of course, of course. Sorry."

"It's fine... but, I-" He sighed. "Dad, look... there's some things I've been meaning to tell you." He gave Astrid a nervous look.

Astrid nodded her encouragement.

"Tell me whatever's on your mind, son," Stoick said, clapping Hiccup on the back as he began to lead Hiccup inside.

"Well," Hiccup's voice faded when Stoick shut the door, leaving Astrid alone in the rain. But Astrid wasn't offended at Hiccup leaving so fast. Of course she wasn't. She was truly happy for her friend.

Astrid started to make her way back to her parent's house, but she stopped halfway through, glancing back at Hiccup's house. She could almost hear Hiccup telling his father about how he hated it when they fought, and asking for Stoick to think before speaking. The chief would then laugh and say, "Whatever you want, lad."

Smiling, Astrid continued down the road.

* * *

 **Yeah yeah, not sure where this exactly came from... But thank you all for reading! Please feel free to review! They're definitely a part of the reason that I try to update as fast as I can.** **Example...**

 ***squeals when an email comes into inbox, clicking on it*** ***sees that the email is from mom*** ***trashes email*** ***sobs uncontrollably***

 ***cough***

 **Well... erm... happy reading! ;)**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	4. Toothless's Mistake

**Toothless's Mistake-** Set during RTTE, sometime second season when Hiccup and the gang head back to Berk: After Toothless eats some of the winter supply of fish, Hiccup locks him up in the Academy for the night. But when Hiccup is captured by a villain in the woods, will Toothless be able to come to the rescue? Requested by  flopy.

* * *

Toothless knew he shouldn't do it.

It was plain wrong, and against everything his rider had taught him about behaving on Berk like a good dragon, which Toothless yearned to be.

But Toothless was too distracted to think about all of that right now.

You see, Hiccup had given Toothless a small breakfast of fish that morning, muttering some things that suspiciously sounded like, "The dragon's getting too fat… got to make the meals smaller…" before walking off. But Toothless was starving at the moment, and he had eventually wandered up to Berk's winter supply of food- right where all the fish were stored.

Toothless licked at his lips, whining in frustration. He was torn between loyalty to his owner and hunger…

Which outweighed the other?

Toothless pawed the ground nervously, eyeing the Fish of Temptations.

He would soon find out.

* * *

"Hiccup!" Stoick yelled, throwing open the front door of the Haddock residence that very same night. "Hiccup, get downstairs right now! There's something you and I need to talk about!"

There was a small thump from upstairs, and Hiccup came down to the first floor, worried. "Whatever you think I did, you have to know that it was either the twins or Snotlout," he said slowly. "Dad, I cannot watch them every hour of every d-"

"Not that, Hiccup!" Stoick interjected, his cheeks red with anger as he paced inside. "This time it was Toothless who did something wrong! And you're not going to like it, Hiccup!" Stoick glanced over to the doorway, growling. "Come on, dragon! We don't have all day!"

Reluctantly, Toothless slunk inside, his head ducked with shame. He knew he shouldn't have ate those fish… Hiccup was going to be angry with him… maybe even disappointed. Toothless let out a huff. He hated making Hiccup disappointed.

"Toothless! What did you do now, bud?" Hiccup sighed, crossing his arms.

Stoick answered for him, stomping a foot onto the ground. "Don't even get me started, Hiccup! First, Toothless eats half the winter supply of fish for Berk, and then he nearly burns the rest of them up when Silent Sven tried to stop him!" Stoick shook his head. "Let's just say Silent Sven might not be so silent anymore. The poor lad was terrified when Toothless came at him!"

Hiccup bit his lip. "That doesn't sound like something Toothless would do. He's usually well-behaved. Are you sure it was him? Maybe there was another black dragon-"

"No, Hiccup! Toothless was the culprit behind this mess," grunted Stoick, walking over to the kitchen. "Now the village won't have a full supply of food for the winter unless we work twice as hard to catch more fish. And it's all Toothless's fault!"

Hiccup looked at his dragon in shock. This didn't sound like the Toothless he knew. The Toothless he knew would never steal anything- and especially not part of Berk's food supply. "Bud, what happened out there?" he asked Toothless, raising his brow. "You're usually against that kind of stuff."

Toothless glanced up at Hiccup, anxious. No, he couldn't lose his rider too.

 _Oh, why did he eat those fish?_

"I want that dragon locked up in the Academy tonight," Stoick ordered, sitting down at the table. "Maybe even tomorrow as well. We need all the helpful dragons to assist in catching more fish for Berk."

"But, Dad-"

"Enough is enough, Hiccup! Toothless is going to be locked up in a cage tonight, whether you do it or I do!"

Hiccup looked down at the floor in defeat. "Fine. I'll take him." Without even looking over at Toothless, he opened the door. "Come on, bud. It's the cage for you tonight." When Toothless didn't move, Hiccup found himself exploding. "Toothless! You have to go! If you do something bad, you have to pay for it."

Jolting at Hiccup's yells, Toothless trodded out the door with a whimper.

He was in big trouble now.

* * *

"In you go," said Hiccup as he opened the cage door. "This is what you get for eating food that Berk needs."

Toothless whined, but he still entered the cage, looking at Hiccup with pleading eyes. _I didn't mean it,_ his expression read. _Please forgive me. It'll never happen again, I promise._

Hiccup sighed, closing the door. "I'm sorry, bud, but if you're not locked up in the morning, my dad will kill me. Anyways… why'd you do it, Toothless?" Hiccup felt anger course through his veins. "You knew that Berk needed those fish, but you ate them anyway. Did you ever stop to think about trying to catch your own instead of stealing?"

Toothless rumbled, deeply hurt by Hiccup's words.

"That's right, you didn't," Hiccup continued, shaking his head. "Because you chose to give into your hunger and do the wrong thing. Bud, I'm…" He swallowed. The next part was hard to say. "I'm disappointed in you, bud. I expected better behavior."

And, with a sigh, Hiccup left the Academy. He needed to be somewhere alone to think… he needed to figure out what to do about Toothless in the future. Could he trust his dragon again? Toothless might not understand the consequences of each action he took, and could easily fall into the same trap as before.

 _I guess I'll go to the forest,_ Hiccup thought glumly, taking a left on the road. _There's always a good thinking place there…_

Hiccup didn't have to go too far before he reached the woods. At least half of Berk- or more- was covered in trees, so practically everything was part of the forest.

Hiccup frowned, glancing up at the night sky. It wasn't safe going into the woods alone after dark. There could be wild animals, dragons, or a mud hole he wouldn't see in the poor lighting, which he could fall into. (Unfortunately, this had happened many times with Hiccup in the past.) But he was sure that he could handle himself. He knew the forest as well as he knew the back of his hand.

Suddenly, Hiccup was snapped out of his thoughts by the crack of a twig close to him. He froze. Something was out there…

Before he had time to react, though, his arms were seized by an unknown force, and Hiccup was pushed to the ground. He yelped, looking up at his captors.

He was shocked when he saw who was leading them.

"Hello, brother," Dagur sneered, studying the knife in his fingers as he stood over Hiccup. "Fancy meeting you here, hmm?"

* * *

Toothless knew that Hiccup was in danger.

Something had triggered inside of the dragon, filling him up with worry, and he knew that he had to get out of this horrible cage if he wanted to save his rider.

Toothless gathered a breath, preparing for the ultimate plasma blast.

And then he fired.

The cage door blasted open, and Toothless jumped out, racing to where his instincts told him to go, He had to make it to Hiccup…

He had to.

* * *

"Let me go!" Hiccup ordered, being forced to his feet by Dagur's men, "my friends will be here soon. In fact, my Night Fury is in the woods right now, waiting to attack!" It was an obvious lie, but a few of the soldiers around him actually looked worried.

"No! Don't listen to him- he's lying," Dagur snapped, glaring over at Hiccup. "You're _always_ lying. You and your Hiccup-y mind games… so frustrating, but nothing a Deranged can't handle. Don't worry, Hiccup. I'll soon snap you out of it." He drew his sword, and grabbed Hiccup's arm.

"Wait. Dagur...," Hiccup began uneasily. "You-"

All of the sudden, the roar of a Night Fury rang out, soon followed by a plasma blast which hit a tree near Dagur's head. Hiccup was filled with relief. _Toothless!_

As if on cue, Toothless leapt out from the trees, roaring at the sight of Hiccup captured. He shot a few plasma blasts at Dagur's men, and they scattered in fear, running off into the woods.

Only Dagur remained. With a cruel smile, he hit Hiccup over the head with the hilt of his sword, knocking the boy unconscious. Toothless growled, furious.

He pounced on top of Dagur, snarling at the Berserker. He had hurt Hiccup, and there was no chance that he would escape without paying.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Dagur shrieked, his tone sounding even higher than a girl's pitch. "P-please! Don't kill me, dragon! I have so much more revenge to live for!"

Toothless had planned he wasn't going to listen to anything this man had to say, but he stopped at Dagur's plea. This was exactly what Hiccup and Toothless had experienced the first time they met. Hiccup had had a chance to kill Toothless, but he hadn't taken it. And now Toothless should do the same thing.

He hopped off of Dagur with one last growl. Dagur understood- he needed to run before the dragon changed his mind-, and he sprinted off.

Toothless looked over at the limp form of Hiccup in concern. He walked over, whining. Would his rider ever wake up? Would he survive the injury? Toothless licked at Hiccup's face, attempting to wake the boy.

Miraculously, it did the trick.

Hiccup sucked in a giant breath of air, his eyes slowly fluttering open. Everything was blurry, but he could make out Toothless sitting beside him. Hiccup smiled, too weak to do anything else. "Thanks for saving me, bud," he croaked.

Overjoyed, Toothless licked Hiccup's face over and over again, causing Hiccup to cry out. "Ah, Toothless! You know that doesn't wash out!" But he was laughing.

And right now, for Toothless, it was enough.

* * *

 **Yay! Another chapter finally done! Hope you all liked the Hicctooth. :)**

 **As always, feel free to leave a request in the reviews or send me a PM! Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	5. Adorable Balls of Horror

**Adorable Balls of Horror:** Set during Riders of Berk. When Astrid finds a family of orphaned bunnies in the woods, she takes them in as her own. Hiccup turns out to be allergic, but he doesn't say anything. After all, how could he take away something Astrid loves? Requested by animalsarepeopletoo.

* * *

"Hiccup! Hiccup!" cried Astrid as she ran into the Great Hall, flapping her arms wildly. "You won't believe what I just found in the woods!"

Hiccup looked up from talking with his father, his brow furrowed with concern. "What did you find, Astrid? A new wild dragon? Did it attack you and Stormfly?"

Astrid shook her head, panting. "No! Just… come on! Follow me!"

With a sigh, Hiccup nodded. "Fine." He turned to his father. "I'll be back soon for my 'being a chief lesson' later, Dad. It's been really… _interesting_ so far."

Stoick smiled, ruffling his son's hair. "Excellent! Enjoy your time together, son."

"I will." Hiccup ran over to Astrid, glad to be relieved of the talk with his father. "Okay. Let's go to this thing you found." Astrid nodded back, taking off after grabbing Hiccup's arm. They raced down the steps of the Great Hall, through the village, and eventually entered the forest. Astrid didn't slow down at all in the maze of trees, but Hiccup stumbled a few times. The boy was pulled this way and that until Astrid finally stopped in front of a log.

Hiccup raised his sweaty brow. "This? You dragged me all the way out into the woods to see a log?" He shook his head. "Why-"

"Just wait a minute!" hissed Astrid, keeping her eyes on the log. "You'll see soon if you're patient and quiet."

"But why would I have to-"

"Shhhh!"

For a minute, the two stood there, staring at the lifeless log with intensity. Hiccup began to think it was all some joke of Astrid's when he heard a noise come from the log. He stiffened, listening to the rustling. It was muted, but it was still there. A moment later, a small, furry brown animal leapt out.

A bunny.

Hiccup released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He was about to speak, but Astrid shook her head. Confused, Hiccup obliged.

He understood what she meant a second later when three more bunnies hopped out, their tiny noses twitching in fear at the sight of Astrid and Hiccup.

"Aren't they adorable?" Astrid squealed, a large smile on her face. "I think they're orphans. I found them all alone out here, whimpering. They didn't have a mother nearby, so I think she somehow died, leaving them to fend for themselves." Astrid paused, thinking. "Hiccup, do you think I could keep them?"

Hiccup pursed his lips. "You want to adopt orphaned bunnies that you just found in the woods? Astrid, that's- ACHOO!" sneezed Hiccup, wiping his nose. He felt surprised. Why had he sneezed? He didn't have a cold.

"Bless you," Astrid said distractedly before going on. "But, why not, Hiccup? If we leave them all alone, they'll either be killed by another wild animal or slowly starve to death… please? For me?" Her dazzling blue eyes were shining with hope, and Hiccup found himself being convinced.

"I don't know, Astrid," Hiccup began, looking at the bunnies with wariness. "You're going to have to feed them, water them, play with them as much as you can, and then eventually release them into the wild once they've gotten stronger." Right after he finished speaking, Hiccup started to scratch at his arms. They felt itchy…why?

A sneaking suspicion aroused in Hiccup. Was he… _allergic_ to these bunnies? It would explain why he was sneezing and itching… and, now that he thought about it, his chest _was_ getting a little tight…

 _But I can't tell Astrid,_ he thought, biting his lip. _She adores those bunnies… I can't take that away from her._

"I can do all that!" claimed Astrid, giving a nod. "Now that that's settled, we're going to the hard part- _catching_ them."

Hiccup groaned. "Suddenly I'm not very keen on keeping these bunnies anymore…"'

* * *

"Are you a little cutie pie? Yes, you are. Yes, you are!" Astrid cooed, stroking one of the bunnies while laughing.

It had taken over half an hour to catch all four of the bunnies. They were quick little animals, dodging and ducking behind trees to escape Hiccup and Astrid. Finally, though, Hiccup and Astrid caught all of them, and brought them back to Astrid's living room where they were playing with them on the floor.

Astrid was delighted with having new pets, and she immediately insisted that they give the bunnies each their own name. They came up with Fuzzy, for the cutest one; Astrid the Second, for Astrid's favorite; Lightning for the fastest; but that left one more.

"What do you think we should name the last one?" Astrid asked Hiccup, a thoughtful expression coming to her countenance

Hiccup narrowed his eyes, feeling another sneeze coming on. "Um… how about-" He put his arm up in front of his mouth. "ACHOO!" Pausing, Hiccup lowered his arm. "Yeah… how about we name him 'Chew'? All bunnies like to chew, so it's fitting."

Astrid smiled. "Great idea, Hiccup! Hmmm… Chew." She scratched under Chew's chin. "Do you like that, Chew? I think you do!" she said in a baby voice. "I think you do!"

Standing up, Hiccup grimaced as he scratched at his chest. It felt clogged up, but he still didn't want to tell Astrid.

At least, not yet.

"So, what do you want to do with the bunnies first, Hiccup?" Astrid asked, oblivious to Hiccup's growing allergy symptoms as she turned away. "We could show them around the house… o-or make collars for each of them with their names!" She was getting very excited, and rambled on.

Hiccup could barely hear her, though. His ears were ringing, he felt itchy all over, and his tightening chest made it hard to breathe. "Astrid," he croaked, trying to warn her about what was happening to him. "Astrid… Astrid…"

But Astrid didn't hear him in her flurry of words. "We can show them to the other riders! We can show them to the dragons, too… oh! I bet Toothless would love these little guys!"

"Astrid," Hiccup tried once more.

A second later, he fell to his knees, gasping.

Astrid turned around, finally noticing Hiccup's dangerous condition. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw her friend in pain. "Hiccup! You're covered with red rashes, and sweating all over! Are you okay?" She knelt beside him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Can you breathe all right? You're gasping for air!"

Hiccup's eyes were popping, but he managed to choke out, "I.. can't… breathe… it's an allergic… reaction to the… bunnies, somehow…" It was difficult to get it all out, and Hiccup almost fainted by the time he finished.

"Hold on, Hiccup!" Astrid yelped, giving him a quick hug. "You're going to be okay! I-I'll go and get help!"

The last thing Hiccup saw before he passed out was Astrid running out the door.

* * *

Hiccup awoke in his bed, feeling terrible.

His chest ached for some reason, and he sat up, clutching it as he tried to give himself some relief. _What happened?_ Suddenly, a flood of memories hit him.

The bunnies.

The allergic reaction.

The feeling of not wanting to take away something that Astrid loved.

Astrid going for help.

Hiccup passing out.

Hiccup rubbed his itchy eyes, wondering just what had happened after he fainted. Astrid must have brought back somebody to help him, and then he had been carried off to bed. "How long have I been out?" he asked himself, surprised that his voice was ever raspier than before.

All of the sudden, Hiccup's door slammed open, and in came Astrid, Toothless, and Stoick. They all looked overly relieved to see Hiccup awake, and Astrid jumped forward, crushing Hiccup in a hug.

"Astrid…! Can't… breathe," Hiccup groaned.

Astrid released, stepping back with wide eyes. "Oh. Right. Sorry. You're still recovering…" She blushed, crossing her arms. "You really scared me, Hiccup. When I came back with Gothi… you were hardly breathing, and…" She trailed off, blinking rapidly.

Stoick stepped forward, placing a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Son. You're all right."

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine." He winced at how horrible his voice sounded. "I think my throat just needs some time to recover from the allergic reaction, though…" He looked up at the others worriedly. "How long was I out? What happened to the bunnies? Why did I have an allergic reaction in the first place? How come I never knew about it?"

Stoick laughed. "Slow down, Hiccup. I'll answer in a moment, but first I think your dragon wants to say hello."

And indeed Toothless did. He practically jumped up on Hiccup's bed, lapping at his boy's face, excited that Hiccup was okay. Hiccup chuckled, trying to push the dragon off of him. "Yes, I get it bud, you're happy I'm awake… but please get off now, okay? I want to talk with Dad."

Giving one last lick to Hiccup's face, Toothless hopped off him, grunting.

Stoick crossed his arms. "You were out for a few hours, son. Gothi said you need plenty of rest and water these next few days, so you're going to have to put a pause on running the Dragon Academy." When Hiccup started to protest, Stoick put his hand up. "The other Riders have agreed, Hiccup. Don't worry. As for the bunnies, Astrid released them into Gothi's custody for now. She'll know how to get them rehabilitated into the wild when they're ready."

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief. Good. The bunnies were gone.

"Hiccup… why didn't you tell me that you were having allergic reactions?" Astrid asked, looking hurt. "I never would have brought them back if I had known… don't you trust me?"

With a smile, Hiccup nodded. "Of course I do."

"Then, next time, if something like this happens, you'll tell me if anything is bothering you. Okay?"

"Okay."

Astrid smirked, and rushed forward, giving him another hug. "I'll always be here for you, Hiccup. No matter what," she murmured into his ear.

Hiccup nodded back, feeling content. "Yes, Astrid. I know."

* * *

 **So, the joke of this story was making Astrid not her usual hardcore self. It turns out that she has a soft spot for bunnies, and that's why she took them in and was acting so giggly. :)**

 **Anyways, see you next time! Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	6. Water, Water, Everywhere

**Water, Water, Everywhere:** What if on Race to the Edge Season 4 episode "Midnight Scrum", when Hiccup and the masked man were dangling over the edge of the cliff, Hiccup fell too? Requested by FanWriter02

* * *

Hiccup and the masked man dangled dangerously over the edge of the cliff, both grunting as Hiccup's hand began to slip from the rock above him.

Hiccup could barely keep hold onto the ledge, and it didn't help that the masked man was holding onto his prosthetic. His leg ached from the extra weight, and he knew he'd have to get rid of the man if he wanted to not fall.

"Pull me up!" the masked man yelled.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes. No. He wasn't going to do that. Releasing one hand from the ledge, he tried to bend down and try to twist off his prosthetic.

The man's eyes widened. "What are you doing?"

Hiccup was just about to release the man by screwing off his prosthetic, when suddenly his grip on the ledge slipped, and he almost fell. Only one arm was supporting both of them, and Hiccup wasn't the strongest boy…

That's when he heard the familiar sound of a dragon roaring, and sending out a purple blast near Hiccup was.

It was a Night Fury.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried, looking up to see his father on his dragon. "I'm so glad you're-" Unfortunately, in that excited moment, Hiccup lost his grip on the ledge, and he and the masked man went plummeting into the water below, ready to be carried out to sea.

Hiccup screamed, and the man clutching onto his leg did too. He heard Stoick yell, "Hiccup!" with fear, but it was too late. Hiccup smacked against the water, and sunk immediately.

It was cold, dark, and Hiccup's lungs begged for oxygen a moment later. He could spot the masked man in the water near him. He had let go of Hiccup's prosthetic in the process of falling, and they were both floating freely apart from each other.

Then Hiccup's eyes widened in horror as he saw something horrible come up ahead.

Giant rocks that stretched up the side of the island.

And he was going to slam into them.

* * *

"Hiccup!" Stoick cried as he son fell from the ledge, plummeting into the water with a hard smack. Stoick dropped landed Toothless and he ran over, looking down at the water below. "Hiccup!"

Hiccup didn't resurface, and the chief stiffened, turning back to the NIght Fury. "Come on, Toothless. We're getting back Hiccup," he said, climbing back onto the saddle.

Toothless snorted in agreement, preparing to take off.

Once Stoick was on Toothless's back, his feet strapped in the pedals, he nudged Toothless in the side. "Let's go save Hiccup."

Rumbling, Toothless took off, diving down the cliff.

* * *

Hiccup braced himself as the boulders got closer to him in the water. The masked man had been lucky enough to pass by the rocks, but Hiccup was being tugged through the current- being as lightweight as he was-, where he would smack against them.

It was getting so hard to remain conscious… his lungs were burning… black spots danced in his vision, and he closed his eyes as the boulders approached.

The last thing he felt before he blacked out was hitting against the rocks, and just wishing he could have done more to help his friends against Viggo.

* * *

Stoick dived down on Toothless, heading straight for the water. His son was nowhere in sight, and the chief was gravely worried. No one could spend much time underwater without needing air… and Hiccup had been under there for more than a minute now….

"We're going in the water, Toothless!" Stoick ordered. "To Hiccup!"

Toothless growled, and flew closer, closer… until both the chief and the dragon hit the surface and dove under the water, looking for Hiccup. At first, it was too murky for Stoick to clearly see anything. He narrowed his eyes, urging Toothless to swim through the water even faster where the current was headed.

That was where Hiccup would be.

He and Toothless paddled through the water more and more, until Stoick spotted something floating limply ten yards away, right near a wall of boulders. He stiffened. _Hiccup. It has to be Hiccup._ Even though the chief's lungs were pleading for air, he still jumped off of Toothless and swam over to the figure.

Yes, it was Hiccup.

The boy was unconscious, no signs of life on his face. There was an ugly gash on his head which spewed the water with red, and Stoick's eyes widened. His boy must have hit the rocks and gotten injured.

 _Oh, Hiccup…_

Stoick grabbed the boy into his arms, beginning to climb up in the water to where the surface would await them. Toothless followed, worried about his rider.

When the chief broke to the surface, he gasped for air, coughing out water. _Well, I saved Hiccup,_ he thought to himself, pushing against the tide to swim to shore. _That's the only thing that matters now…._

 _If he's even alive._

Stoick reached a small, sandy beach, and heaved himself upon it, breathing heavily. But he didn't take a moment to recollect himself before he laid the unmoving Hiccup down on the sand, studying the boy in concern.

Hiccup did not move.

"Hiccup," Stoick whispered, shaking his son's shoulders. "Hiccup! Wake up! Come on, son…" Tears blurred his eyes, but he kept on shaking. "Wake up, wake up… you're going to be all right… you have to be… Thor help me- Hiccup! Wake up!"

His words were interrupted by the landing of dragons next to him. The other Riders had finally arrived, but they might have been too late

Astrid ran over, gasping. "Oh, no. Hiccup!" She knelt beside the boy, her blue eyes full of something new: fear. She looked over at Stoick. "What happened?"

Stoick swallowed. "He fell from the cliff and dropped into the water with another man… and then he slammed against some rocks." Stoick pointed to Hiccup's head gash. "That's how he got that."

Fishlegs whimpered from on top of Meatlug. "Is he going to be alright?"

Shaking his head, Stoick looked down at his son. "I don't know, lad… he went a long time without air, and he now has a head injury…" Stoick brushed Hiccup's hair away from his forehead, wincing at the laceration. "We have to get him to breathe again. We need to get the water out of his lungs."

"I can smack his back," Astrid offered, starting to sit Hiccup up. "I once did that to a little girl who had almost drowned, and she ended up alright."

Stoick felt relieved with knowing the lass could help. Maybe they could make Hiccup breathe after all. "Okay." He helped the unconscious Hiccup sit up, and Astrid rubbed her hands together, preparing for the coming feat.

With a nod at the chief, she began to whack at Hiccup's back. Each blow made Stoick cringe. He hated to see someone hurting his boy, but it was for the best. This could help Hiccup live again. Astrid kept on whacking and whispering, "Please breathe, Hiccup! Breathe!" This continued for a minute more, and Stoick found himself giving up hope.

"This isn't working," he argued, glancing down at Hiccup. "We have to-"

Suddenly, Hiccup's eyes flew open, and he began to cough out bunches of water, his hacking sounding terrible. Stoick jolted back in shock. Hiccup! He was alive! The chief wanted to hug his son in relief, but with the way Hiccup was gasping for air at the moment, he knew it wasn't the best idea.

Hiccup coughed some more, rubbing his stinging eyes. "What… happened?" he croaked, looking around. "Is everyone okay? Where'd the masked man go? Why do I feel so-" He broke down into a coughing fit, and Astrid smacked at his back again, trying to get all the water out. "Ow! Ow!" Hiccup flinched against her hits. "What's- what's that for?"

Astrid smiled, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. "I was trying to save your life, dummy. You scared me." She sucked in a breath, and then she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm glad you're alive, Hiccup. I really am," she whispered into his ear.

Hiccup chuckled, wiping water from his forehead as Astrid stood up, blushing. "T-thanks, Astrid."

Stoick, unable to help himself, nearly crushed his son in a hug. "Hiccup. You're alright…" The fatherly words he was supposed to say caught in his throat, and he coughed, pulling away. "That's a nasty gash on your forehead, son. We need to mend it up."

Hiccup winced. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. But, for now, I'm fine!"

Stoick stood up, raising a dubious eyebrow. "We'll see about that. For now, though, let's settle with getting you on Toothless. Gothi will be able to determine whether you're really 'fine' or not when we get back to Berk." He scooped Hiccup off the ground like he was a child, walking over to Toothless, and the boy groaned.

"D-dad, I'm not a kid. Put me-"

"Hiccup, you nearly drowned. You still need help doing things. Only Odin knows what would have happened if…" He paused, stopping in his steps. "Son, I'm just glad you're alive."

Though reluctant, Hiccup smiled back. "Me too. And Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"Thanks." Hiccup nodded his head. "For everything."

Stoick nodded, looking much happier than before. "You're welcome, Hiccup. And remember: I'll always be there for you." He paused, smiling affectionately. "Always."

* * *

 **Anyways, sorry for the quick chapter. I PROMISE I'll try to do better next time;)**

 **You guys are great! Thanks for following, faving, and reviewing! I hope you'll look forward to more in the future!**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333 (but my FRIENDS call me purple. So you guys can't.)**

 **(All right, all right... just kidding...)**

 **(mostly) ;)**


	7. Something Stuck In Your Throat

**Something Stuck in Your Throat:** Set in DOB. After a long, long day at work, the Riders decide to eat dinner at the Great Hall, where they begin to tell jokes. But when Hiccup begins to choke, can they save him? Requested by animalsarepeopletoo

* * *

Hiccup burst out laughing.

It was evening out, and the Riders had had a long day of working that day, what with building some of Berk's newest watchtowers, so they had decided to treat themselves to dinner at the Great Hall for a well-deserved break. Everyone was a bit… _delirious_ because of how exhausted they were, and that's when they started to tell the jokes.

Even if the joke that somebody said wasn't funny at all, everyone would still scream with laughter, wiping their eyes and pounding their fists on the table. Astrid herself was doing it too, and Hiccup knew that he had reached her breaking point. Well, he _would have_ known that if he had a clear mind at the moment. Which he didn't.

Snotlout had just told a stupid joke about a barmaid and a dragon, and that had broughten fits of laughter to the group.

"Snotlout," Tuffnut wheezed, trying to get in as much air as he could, which was hard because he was laughing. "You might just be the funniest guy I have ever met!"

Snotlout laughed, and Hiccup, even in his dazed state, could see how tired and blood-shot the other boy's eyes were. "No, I'm not!" Snotlout brushed aside, which was unusual because he wasn't the one to turn down a compliment. Ever. " _Astrid_ is the funniest!"

Astrid brightened, and she smiled at Snotlout. _Smiled._ Hiccup blinked, trying to figure out what was wrong with the scene. Nothing looked out of the ordinary to him, so he shrugged. It must have been his imagination.

"Aw, you're so sweet!" Astrid giggled, leaning back into her chair. "Okay, here's another one: why didn't the skeleton ask the girl out?"

Fishlegs frowned. "I don't know…" He felt like he should know the answer, yet his addled mind prevented him from remembering.

"Because he didn't have the _guts_ to!" Astrid revealed, and the group howled with laughter, stomping their feet on the floor.

Stoick, sitting at a nearby table with Gobber, raised his brow at the Dragon Riders' explosion. "Is it just me, or are the kids acting a bit.. wild _er_ than usual?"

Gobber bit his lip while trying to pick some wax out of his ears. "Eh, they worked pretty hard today, and they've been up since the middle of the night, working on the new watchtowers. They deserve to let loose, even if it is getting crazy."

Frowning, Stoick rubbed his forehead. "Hiccup's been up that long? No wonder the boy and the others are acting like this. They're delusional!"

Meanwhile, back at the Riders' table, Hiccup then took a large bite down on his chicken leg, forgetting how not-hungry he was. He chewed it as Snotlout continued with his joke.

"...and then I leapt at Hookfang, and I said," the boy paused for dramatic effect, and the Riders' eyes widened, hungry for more. "You may be a dragon with fire, claws, and talons, but you can _never_ say 'oi, oi, oi' as well as me!"

The table erupted into laughter, and Hiccup joined in. Almost immediately, he realized that it was a bad idea. The piece of chicken he was chewing on got stuck in the middle of his throat. All the sudden, Hiccup couldn't breathe.

He was choking.

The other Riders, unaware with Hiccup's dilemma, dabbed at their watering eyes, giving a few last chuckles.

Hiccup panicked, clutching his aching throat. He tried to say something, but it only came out as an unintelligible gurgle. Hiccup stood up, trying to get everyone's attention.

Astrid glanced up at him, smiling. "Oh, is it your turn to tell a joke, Hiccup? I love it when you use the viking-and-his-angry-wife one! That's hilarious!"

Hiccup felt woozy from the lack of oxygen, and he dropped to one knee, trying to gag out the chicken but he was unable to. The boy felt overwhelmed by fear. Was he going to die? No, he couldn't die like this… he wanted to die in battle… not by choking. He couldn't die now...

But as his vision faltered, it became more likely that he would choke to death.

Toothless nudged his hand in worry, and everyone else looked up with concern. Astrid snapped out of her dazed trance, and worry washed through her. "Hiccup?" she gasped, a hand flying to her mouth. "Are you alright? _Hiccup?!"_

Gesturing to his bulging throat, Hiccup's eyes seemed to be popping. He needed air.

 _Now._

"Help!" Astrid screamed, dropping next to Hiccup. Toothless licked his rider's hand, desperate to help. "He-he's choking! Please, anybody, _do something!_ I don't know how to handle this!"

Stoick glanced up from his meal, now horrified to his his son kneeling on the floor, clutching his throat. _He was choking._ "Hiccup!" he boomed, jumping up from his chair and jogging over. "It-it's okay, Hiccup... you're going to be okay!"

Hiccup nodded, but he looked like he might pass out at any moment. Stoick didn't waste any time at all, and he grabbed Hiccup while sitting down on a nearby chair. The chief started to push down on the boy's back in a panicked rhythm- nearly pounding the boy, really-, fearful of what could happen if he failed.

 _Breathe, Hiccup. Breathe!_

Stoick kept on pushing, and the room of vikings silenced in terror.

Hiccup wasn't breathing, but the chief still kept at it.

 _Push. Push. Push._

 _Pound!_

Hiccup suddenly choked out a large piece of meat, gasping for the air he needed. He collapsed on his father's legs, lightheaded from the experience. Toothless licked Hiccup's cheek, whining.

Stoick cried out in relief, bringing the boy up to his chest for a giant hug. "Oh, Hiccup," he whispered, horrified of what could have happened if he hadn't been there in time. "Shhh… you're okay… you're okay…"

Hiccup panted, his eyes feeling heavy. All he wanted to do now was fall asleep. Everything hurt. His throat, his back, his chest…

But he had to stay awake to comfort his father. He could tell that Stoick needed Hiccup there a lot more than Hiccup needed him.

"I'm… okay," Hiccup choked, fighting to remain conscious. "Just had… something stuck in… my throat… for a minute… there…"

The chief almost let loose a tear, when he realized that all the other Viking men and women in the Great Hall were staring at him, seeing how the chief would react. Stoick cleared his throat, running a hand through Hiccup's bangs. "You're okay, son," he said, but it was more to himself than to Hiccup.

Hiccup groaned, yawning. "Dad… I'm tired." He yawned again, putting his head on Stoick's shoulder. It felt cozy there. Safe. Protected from the world…

"You go to sleep now, son," Stoick urged, bringing the boy into a tighter hug. "Take all the time you need. I…" He stopped, trying to figure out what to say next.

 _I can't believe I almost lost you, Hiccup._

 _I love you, Hiccup._

 _You're the most special person I know, Hiccup._

Stoick the Vast sighed, loosening his grip on Hiccup. "I never would have been able to go on without you, son. Thank you for living."

Though half asleep, Hiccup smiled in a daze. "I love you too, Dad."

Stoick froze, unsure how to reply. True, he didn't just go walking around every day telling people he loved them, but he honestly couldn't remember the last time he told his son that. Perhaps after the Red Death experience- still, that was a long time ago…

The chief swallowed.

He was a terrible father.

Hiccup chuckled, beginning to drift off. "This is… the part where… you say… 'Thank you, Hiccup.'... okay?"

Grunting, Stoick nodded in acknowledgment, and patted the boy on the back. "Thank you, Hiccup. I love you."

And he did.

And Hiccup knew it.

* * *

 **Choke, Hiccup, choke! Mwahaha...**

 **Sorry for the shorter chapter again, but I just wanted to write this as quick as I could! ;)** **As always, if you have a request for me to write as one of these one-shots, then PM me or leave a review with your request.**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	8. Ice

**Ice-** During a snowstorm, the Riders decide to have a snowball fight. But when Tuffnut accidentally throws a ball of ice at Hiccup's head, will the Friend of Dragons survive?

* * *

"We should have a snowball fight today."

That was Heather's thoughtful statement once the Riders had seen that it had it snowed overnight at the Edge.

The gang was currently huddling in the clubhouse, desperate to keep warm in the midst of the freezing weather. Yes, it had snowed, but that didn't mean that it would exactly be fun to have a snowball fight. They'd freeze out there.

"H-Heather," Hiccup stuttered, rubbing his arms. "I-it's too cold. Having a-a snowball f-f-fight is not a g-good idea."

Astrid nodded, but still tried not to reveal how much she was shivering. And she wasn't the only one, either. The twins were huddled together in the corner of the room near the fireplace, Snotlout was keeping himself warm on top of Hookfang, while Fishlegs had wrapped himself in a bundle of blankets, shivering.

"Come on," Heather smiled, not seeming to be chilled by the coldness at all. "It barely snows because we're all the way out here! We should enjoy it while it lasts!" She peeked out the door, bringing in a gush of freezing air. "Hey! I think the sun's even coming out!"

Hiccup held himself tighter, and Toothless nudged his leg in concern. "H-Heather, that's n-not really a possibility a-at the m-moment," Hiccup explained as nicely as he could. "We-we'll just b-be too c-cold, and not be able to d-do anything." A fit of shivers spread through him.

"Guys, I know you have it in you to do this," Heather said, closing the clubhouse's door. "You went to the Snow Wraith's island in winter, for Thor's sake! That was a lot colder than this, and you all survived."

"H-hey!" Snotlout retorted. "That didn't mean we _liked_ it! I never w-want to be part of the Thorston Sandwich again!"

Tuff and Ruff looked up from the fireplace angrily, their skin frightening pale in the flickering light. "We were trying to save your life!" Ruffnut bit back, standing up. "You know, if it wasn't for us, you'd be dead, pal! So ungrateful…"

Tuffnut nodded, and shook his head. "Kids these days… they take everything for granted…"

Astrid blinked. "You k-know, maybe we could g-go out there," she reconsidered, walking up to Hiccup. "It'd be good practice for the next time we end up on a snowy island with barely any way of escaping."

Hiccup raised his brow, letting his arms drop to his sides. "Well, who s-says there's going to be a-a next time?" At Astrid's pointed look, he sighed. "Okay, I get your p-point. Fine. W-we can go, i-if it means t-that much to y-you, Heather."

Smiling, Heather straightened. "Great! Alright, guys. Put on your extra layer of clothes. We're going out!"

* * *

"Go long, sis!" Tuffnut called, throwing a snowball over to Ruffnut. "Try to hit Fishlegs again!"

Ruffnut ran and intercepted the ball, grabbing it with her hand in the air. "Got it!" she cackled, swerving around to try and find Fishlegs. It was hard, due to the blizzard around whirling around her, so she blindly threw the ball away and hoped for the best.

There was a high-pitched shriek, and Ruff smiled over at Tuffnut. "I hit him!"

Hiccup suddenly appeared in front of them, shivering. His auburn hair was now more unkempt than ever in the harsh wind, and he cocked his head. "Are you g-guys okay over h-here?" he shouted, having to raise his voice to be heard over the storm. "Any of y-you g-guys need to go back i-in?"

"No, we're fine, Hiccup," Tuffnut answered, starting to walk away. "We're having the time of our lives! It's not even that cold anymore."

Ruffnut smiled, rubbing her arms. "Yeah. Us Thorstons don't get easily unnerved."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "So, that's why you're shivering and trying to warm yourself up?"

The twin dropped her arms, wincing. "Hey! Tuffnut's skin is… thicker than mine! That's why he's so fat!"

"Yeah!" Tuffnut agreed, not realizing what she meant. He turned around. "Oh, and Hiccup…" He quickly grabbed a ball of ice from the ground, unaware of how hard it was. "Look out, H!" Tuffnut sent the ball flying towards Hiccup, and the boy didn't have time to shriek before it collided with his forehead.

Hiccup yelped, and clutched his bleeding head before he collapsed into the snow.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut gasped.

"You idiot!" Ruffnut yelled, running over to Hiccup. "You just hit Hiccup will a ball of ice, not snow! They're called 'snowballs', not 'iceballs'!"

Tuffnut's eyes widened. "Oh, Thor. I got to get Astrid… she'll know what to do- Oh, Thor! He's bleeding!"

Ruffnut bent over Hiccup, rolling her eyes. " _Of course_ he's bleeding, Tuffnut!" she snapped, inspecting his wound. "You threw a ball of ice at his forehead- what did you expect, confetti to pop out?"

Crossing his arms, Tuffnut smirked. "On a completely unrelated note, that would be awesome!"

"Tuff! Go get Astrid!"

"Gotcha, sis!" Tuffnut started to run off, only to trip himself in the snow. He stood up sheepishly, rubbing his chin before continuing on his way. "Astrid! Astrid!" he yelled, trying to find the girl in the snow. "You have to help us! Astrid!"

Ruffnut looked down at Hiccup, now noticing how pale he was. His brown hair looked too dark on his light skin, and the blood pouring out of the gash on his head turned the snow around him to the color of red. "Hurry, Tuff," she whispered, moving Hiccup's head into her lap.

"Hurry."

* * *

Astrid was already getting irritated with this snowball fight. Not only was it cold, but Heather also had a liking to target Astrid for most of her snowball shots. By the time they were ten minutes in the game, Astrid was soaked through with snow and shivering.

And then she couldn't find Hiccup anywhere.

Just a few minutes ago he had come by, asking how everyone was. Astrid replied that she was fine, more worried on how to avoid Heather than to focus on Hiccup, but she realized that her friend hadn't returned from coming back on checking Ruff and Tuff.

He better have not done anything stupid, she thought, her eyes narrowing as she looked out into the blinding snow. Or flown back to the clubhouse on Toothless because he was too cold… yeah, that would be typical Hiccup.

"Astrid!" she heard someone yell, panicked. "Astrid!"

It was Tuffnut.

Astrid sighed, hugging her shivering self. She considered not replying, but at Tuffnut's urgent tone, she sensed something was wrong. "I'm over here!" she called. "Just follow my voice!"

A few seconds later, Tuffnut appeared in the haze of falling snow, his expression terrified. "A-Astrid!" he gasped, stumbling up to her. "You have to help! T-there was an accident, and now Hiccup is-"

"Slow down, what happened?" Astrid demanded, freezing at the words 'Hiccup' and 'accident'. Had Hiccup been hurt?

"I… I accidentally threw a ball of ice at Hiccup's forehead," admitted Tuff, wincing at Astrid's horrified look. "He's unconscious now, a-and he's bleeding… Oh, Thor, Astrid, blood's everywhere... Ruff's taking care of him now, but she needs help."

"Take me to him!" Astrid shouted, her body trembling with fear. "Take me to Hiccup _now_ , Tuffnut!"

Heather appeared at the side of Astrid, looking concerned. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Tuffnut sighed. "Again? I have to explain this all again? Well, okay, but-"

"Hiccup's been hurt," Astrid explained to Heather, knowing that her story would be quicker than Tuffnut's. "He got hit by an ice ball in the head, and he's bleeding and unconscious."

Heather paled. "Let's go, then!"

Tuffnut nodded, and the trio started to run to where he was leading them, their dragons blindly following behind. Once Tuffnut managed to get them all back to Ruff, they could Hiccup wasn't doing well. Not well at all. He was a deadly white, shivering, and his forehead was bleeding all over Ruffnut's legs. Ruffnut had placed Hiccup's head in her lap, trying to favor his wounded area, but it wasn't helping.

"Sis! We're back!" Tuffnut called, panting as he ran over. "How's Hiccup? Is he okay now?"

Ruffnut glared back. "Of course he's not okay now! You hit him with an ice ball, muttonhead! Those things have been known to kill!"

Astrid gasped, walking over to Hiccup. He looked almost dead… so very very pale… barely breathing at all… She shook her head, reaching the boy. "Hiccup," Astrid murmured, kneeling beside Ruffnut. "How do you always manage to get yourselves stuck in these situations?"

"Uh… do you two need a minute?" Tuffnut asked, confused. "Because we can totally leave."

Ruffnut glowered at him. "Stay out of this, bro. Haven't you done enough?"

Tuffnut stepped back, hurt. "Woah, Ruff. Isn't that a little-"

"Stop talking!" exploded Astrid, too stressed to care how mean she sounded. "Hiccup's injured, and we're going to have a hard time getting him back to the clubhouse in this weather! Okay, first thing's first… we need to dress his wound, and then- wait." Astrid paused, feeling that something was wrong. "Where's Toothless? He should be with Hiccup."

"He wasn't with Hiccup when he came over," Ruffnut said.

"So… where is he, then?"

Astrid'd questions were replied when a roar of a Night Fury rang out from behind them. The Riders turned around to see Toothless leading Fishlegs and Snotlout over, who were shivering on their dragons' backs. "The stupid dragon wouldn't leave us alone," Snotlout grumbled, not yet seeing the unconscious Hiccup. "He went and got Guppylegs before going after me next…"

Fishlegs gasped, hopping off of Meatlug. He had seen Hiccup, and was horrified. "W-what happened?" he blubbered, his face morphed in worry. "Why is Hiccup's forehead bleeding? Why is he unconscious? Why does Tuffnut look strangely more suspicious than usual?"

Tuffnut paused, trying to seem innocent. "What? N-no, I didn't do anything. I'm Good Man Tuffnut. Yep. That's what they call me.. 'cause I'm good, and stuff…"

"That muttonhead threw a ball of ice at Hiccup, and it hit his forehead," Astrid growled, caressing Hiccup's wound. The boy winced, crying out. Well, I know that he's awake enough to feel pain, so I guess that's good news, she mused, removing her hands from the gash. "Hiccup? Can you hear me, Hiccup?"

"Astrid…" moaned Hiccup. "Astrid… A-Astrid… m'head hurts..."

Laughing, Astrid brought Hiccup up to her chest, unable to hold back a much needed hug. After a long moment, she laid him back down on the snow, knowing she couldn't hold onto him forever. "So, how do you feel, Hiccup? You got hit in the head with some ice, thanks to Tuffnut." She held back another growl. "But don't worry. We're going to take you back to the clubhouse soon, and you'll be nice and warm… your head will feel better, too."

Hiccup smiled, and grimaced as his forehead burned in protest. "Mmmm… th-that sounds nice… Astrid, I-I'm really sleepy…"

Fishlegs yelped, running over. "N-no, Hiccup! You have to stay awake! Going to sleep with a head wound is not a good idea… you may never wake up again!"

Snotlout finally noticed what was wrong, and he stiffened. "Wait, what happened to Princess Outpost? Why's he bleeding?"

"Oh, I'll tell you what's going on," Tuffnut offered, brightening as he prepared for a long speech. "You see-"

"There's no time to spare, Tuff," Fishlegs interrupted, carefully looking over Hiccup's head wound. "Hiccup's been hurt… bad. We have to get him somewhere warm before he freezes to death out here."

"Well, it's going to take awhile to do that," Ruffnut sighed. "This storm's not getting any clearer, and the dragons are having enough trouble walking around as it is… what do you think will happen when they try to fly?"

Toothless grunted, slinking up to his rider. He was sure he could do it, even with his tailfin. He had to. For Hiccup.

"I'm sorry, Toothless." Astrid shook her head, wincing. "Your tailfin might ice over when we take off, and then we'll all crash. No, we have to use another dragon to get Hiccup back." She snapped her fingers in understanding, and nodded. "We'll take Stormfly! She's great at getting through storms, hence the name. We'll be back to the Edge in no time."

Stormfly perked up at her name, and shifted on her feet.

"Okay," Fishlegs agreed, although reluctant. "But once you get Hiccup to safety, you need to warm him up. Bring him to the clubhouse and put him on a blanket near the fire. Next, find something to cover his wound, and wait for me to get there. I'll know how to do the rest."

Astrid felt impressed by Fishleg's calmness. Whenever there was trouble, he'd usually be overwhelmed by stutters and fear, but now he seemed perfectly fine, unflinching even at Hiccup's condition. She nodded, dragging Hiccup up by his arms. "Alright. I'll see you there." Astrid looked over her shoulder. "Stormfly, come here!"

The dragon bounded over over, cawing in alarm when she saw the limp Hiccup. Astrid looked down at her friend. "Stay awake, Hiccup," she told him, heaving the boy up on Stormfly. "Just for a little longer. We have to get you back to the clubhouse."

Hiccup shivered, slumping against Stormfly's neck. He was barely conscious, and was getting paler by the minute. Blood tricked down the side of his head, filling Astrid with worry. "Okay," he whispered. "For you, Astrid. I'll… stay awake,"

Astrid smiled, jumping up on Stormfly. "Good." She nudged her dragon, holding Hiccup closer in her arms. "Let's go, girl! Back to the Edge!"

With a caw, Stormfly took off into the snowy sky.

* * *

The ride to the clubhouse didn't take too long, as Stormfly was an expert in navigating. The whole way, Astrid had to talk to Hiccup to keep him awake. He wasn't doing too good in the blizzard raging around him. His skin had grown a shade paler- if that was even possible- and still more blood leaked out of his wound.

Once Stormfly landed next to the clubhouse, Astrid didn't take a moment more than she had to before helping Hiccup slide off of Stormfly. The poor boy could hardly stand, let alone walk, which forced Astrid into nearly carrying Hiccup the whole way inside.

By the time Hiccup was laid next to the fireplace, lit by Stormfly, Hiccup was ready to pass out again. "Now can I sleep?" he muttered, his eyes struggling to stay open. "I've been a-awake the whole ride…"

Astrid felt concerned. Fishlegs had told her that Hiccup needed to stay awake, what with his head wound, but Hiccup looked so tired… and the way that he looked so desperate for her to agree… well, she couldn't say no to that face.

"Okay, Hiccup," she sighed. "Just until Fishlegs gets here, though. Understand?"

Hiccup nodded, his eyes fluttering close. "Th-thanks, Astrid."

"Of course." Astrid paused, thinking of how she almost lost him out in the snow earlier. That had been one of the most terrifying feelings she had experienced in her life. Astrid, before she could stop herself, let a tiny smile trace upon her lips. "I love you, Hiccup," she murmured, patting his hand. "I always will."

Hiccup faintly smiled back, and much to her surprise, he whispered, "I love you too."

And right there and then, Astrid knew that everything would turn out alright.

* * *

 **Hmm hmm, lots o' feelzies. ACK, sorry for any horrible mistypes or weird sentences... it's midnight and I'm on my iPad which autocorrects everything into its opposite word. Who knew I installed the app for that? XD**

 **See you all next time! Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	9. We'll Always Be There For You

**We'll Always Be There For You:** What if for Snow Way Out, Heather didn't blind the hunter about to shoot Hiccup fast enough? Requested by PKWolf014. Rated T for injury.

* * *

 **It's here, guys! Finally, another one-shot! Sorry it took me so long to get around to… school was crazy (as it's the end of the year), and then FanFiciton stopped working for awhile... ugh.… Anyways, thank you** **PKWolf014** **for this idea! I really enjoyed writing it!**

 **Without further adieu, here is your next chapter!**

* * *

Hiccup glared over at Ryker in the ice cave.

It had only been yesterday that they had found out Ryker was going after the Snow Wraiths for a key to the Dragon Eye, they had both arrived on the island earlier that day. That's when the Riders found a cave up high in the mountains, and with Astrid's helpful suggestion, they believed it to be a hibernation cave for the Snow Wraiths. The gang was on their way to get the Snow Wraith off the island, when Ryker found them.

Hiccup was beyond angry with the man by now. Who was he to demand that the Riders should hand over the Dragon Eye without a fight? Who was he to kill innocent dragons because he felt like it, or wanted to make some easy loot? Hiccup clenched his fists, trying to hold back his anger. He forced a calm expression on his face.

"Dagur was right," Ryker spat, with a small chuckle. "You don't look like much."

Narrowing his eyes, Hiccup returned with an equally fierce expression. "Astrid was right. You look like a psycho."

Somewhere from behind him, he heard Tuff whisper, "Not exactly the compliment I would have led with."

Ryker was infuriated, but he obviously tried to hide it. "How about you and I make a deal? You give me the Dragon Eye, and I'll let you and your friends go."

Hiccup pretended to pat around his belt for the Dragon Eye. "Oh? Well, I guess I must have left it in my other pants." He crossed his arms, amused.

"You really don't have it with you?" Ryker asked.

"No."

"And you're not planning on coming out of there?"

"Not anytime soon," Hiccup said, finding it odd that Ryker wasn't demanding anything of him yet.

Suddenly, though, the man donned an evil grin. "Well, then. You leave me no choice."

 _No choice?_ Hiccup thought, worried. _What does he mean, no choice? Choice to do what?_

Meanwhile, where Heather sat on Windshear, she saw a soldier preparing to fire a crossbow at Hiccup. Alarmed, she tried to expose the hunter by knocking a lantern on the floor to show the Hunter's shadow, but she was a second too late.

The Hunter's arrow whizzed through the air, closer, closer…

And then it sunk right through Hiccup's armor, gaining a painful cry from the boy. Blood dripped out from the wound, running down his side and down his left leg. Hiccup grunted, falling to his knees. Everything hurt… why was he so dizzy?

"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled, running over. She didn't care that the Riders had been ordered to stay where they were. No, she didn't have time to think about that. Hiccup was injured, and… "Hiccup! Talk to to me, please." She put her hands on his shoulders, alarmed with Hiccup's grimacing.

Ryker laughed from in front of them, drawing his sword. "I'm afraid neither of you will have the chance to do that."

Heather bit her lip, determined to save her friends. She'd never forgive herself if she just let them die. The girl nudged Windshear to fly forwards, and then she plucked Ryker off the ground. "Sorry, Ryker- we have to go."

"Let me down!" Ryker demanded, being flown out of the ice cave.

"Viggo needs the Riders _alive,_ remember?" Heather snapped as she flew Ryker away in the falling snow. "You can't kill them. Not until Viggo gives the word."

Ryker mumbled something unintelligible to Heather's ears, but stopped fighting back. The two quickly disappeared into the blizzard, leaving all the Hunters to fend for their own.

Back at the ice cave, all the Dragon Hunters looked confused at what to do next. Their questions, however, soon became answered when Toothless sent a plasma blast at them. They scattered like field mice and ran off.

After they were gone, the Riders rushed over to Hiccup, horrified. Blood was Hiccup's shirt, on the ice… Astrid shivered, gently lowering Hiccup to a lying position on the ground. The boy groaned in protest, and Astrid winced. "Shh, shh… the pain will go away soon.. you'll be okay…"

Hiccup blinked slowly, trying to register her words. "Is everyone-" He grimaced, a wave of pain shooting through his side. "Is everyone okay?"

Astrid felt her heart throb. "We're fine, Hiccup. After all, _you're_ the one who's just been shot with an arrow in the side."

"Oh." Hiccup's voice was small, and almost ashamed of getting himself caught in such a dilemma. "That's why it hurts…"

The other Riders approached them, their eyes wide. Fishlegs let out a strangled sound of distress, the twins exchanged frightful glances, and Snotlout looked shocked to see Hiccup bleeding so much.

"Oh, Thor, oh, Thor," Fishlegs murmured, pacing beside Hiccup. "I knew Ryker couldn't be trusted to make a deal! Oh, Thor, Hiccup…"

"We have to get him back to base," said Astrid, standing up. "It's too cold for him to survive up here, and going back to Berk would take too long… the Edge is the only reasonable choice we can make."

Hiccup moaned. "Astrid…," he murmured. "Toothless… D-Dad…"

Toothless walked over, and licked at his rider's tightened face. When Hiccup didn't react, the dragon rumbled, concerned.

"Before we do, though, we have to get the arrow out of him," Astrid explained with a wince. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Hiccup even more, but there was no other way. The longer they kept the arrow in, the worse Hiccup would get. Then again, he could possibly get an infection in the wound when they removed the arrow- it was the only thing keeping even more blood back. Still, either way, Hiccup would hurt more than he was feeling now.

"Okay… w-we have to hold Hiccup down to begin with," Fishlegs stuttered, snapping into action. "W-when we remove the arrow, it's going to hurt him a lot, and he'll try to resist."

"I'll be fine," Hiccup argued, right before he grimaced. He held back a cry of pain. _Please, stop… please, stop…_

Fishlegs didn't look convinced, and turned to the other Riders. "Ruff, Tuff, hold down his legs- and don't press too hard!" The twins rolled their eyes, but nodded. "Okay, Snotlout, Astrid, you guys cover the arms." He swallowed. "And I-I-I'll be the once to remove the arrow. I once looked into medical classes with Gothi, you know…"

Astrid nodded, pushing down on Hiccup's right arm. "I've got my limb."

Snotlout did the same with Hiccup's left arm. "So do I."

The twins, after a quick slapping fight of a "who gets to hold down which leg" argument, each pressed down on their parts. "We're ready too!" Ruffnut said proudly.

"Hey," Tuff complained. "I wanted to say that!"

"Well, I thought of it first!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah h-"

"Ruff! Tuff!" Fishlegs snapped, taking in a shaky breath. "It doesn't matter about who gets to say what first. Hiccup's our main priority right now."

"Oh, right." Tuffnut winced, looking over at Hiccup. "Sorry, H."

Hiccup tried to shrug back, but he was too filled with pain to.

"Okay…" Fishlegs looked extremely nervous. "Hiccup, this is going to hurt… _a lot_. Just try and relax. It'll make it pass quicker, alright?"

Hiccup closed his eyes, and grunted in agreement. _Here we go..._

Licking his lips in worry, Fishlegs went down to his knees, and grabbed hold of the arrow in Hiccup's side. The sudden movement made Hiccup yelp, and he was obviously trying not to give away how much it hurt. "H-Hiccup! It's okay!" Fishlegs assured the other boy, softening his grip on the arrow. "Take a deep breath in, deep breath out… it'll help lessen the pain. C'mon, Hiccup, breathe…"

Toothless licked Hiccup's cheek in concern, and Hiccup chuckled, though it was painful. He did as Fishlegs asked, and breathed in deeply. It hurt his side some, but it wasn't as bad as it was before. He tried the method again, and was met with the same comfortable result.

Fishlegs gripped the arrow again, and after a moment of hesitation, he yanked it out of Hiccup's bloodied side before he could change his mind.

The other boy let out a blood-curdling shriek, and more blood came pouring out of the deep wound. Astrid gasped, horrified to see Hiccup in so much pain. Usually, he'd cover it up when something was hurting, and do a pretty good job of it. But now that he was screaming… that was _certainly not_ a good sign. "Fishlegs! What do we do?" she exclaimed, struggling to holding the withering Hiccup down. "H-he's shaking too much!"

Fishlegs whimpered. "If he keeps on acting like this, he'll lose too much blood... w-we have to calm him down, and then after that, bandage the wound…"

"Okay, guys," Astrid announced, not listening to Fishlegs any more. They had to act now or never. "We have to get Hiccup to relax. Alright?"

Snotlout made a face, but he didn't say anything in return. He knew just how serious the situation was. It was either life or death for Hiccup if they didn't get him to stop thrashing about. "Uuuggghhh, fine," he groaned, and patted Hiccup on his trembling arm. "If you calm down, Dragon Boy, I'll listen to you for a whole… week. Yep, but no more. There'll be no complaining from me: no pranks, no schemes, nothing."

Hiccup grimaced, his body tremors not getting any better. Well, at least he had managed to stop screaming. "W-why do I-I-I find that s-so h-hard to b-believe?"

"Well, you better believe it, because it's true," Snotlout said. "All you have to do is relax, cuz. Just relax. Doesn't a Snotlout-complaining-free week sound good?"

Astrid smiled. She knew that the other boy didn't exactly _care_ for Hiccup, but it was sweet of him to offer his obedience to Hiccup, even though, most likely, it'd never happen. "Hey." She stroked Hiccup's forehead where his brown bangs met the skin. "You'll be alright, Hiccup… we're going to fix you up, bring you back to the Edge, and then you'll feel better soon… everything will be fine."

Toothless snorted in agreement, and nudged Hiccup's head. Hiccup chuckled weakly. "I-I'm okay, bud… i-it's only fun i-if you get a-a scar o-out of it, r-right?" he asked. With a deep breath, he focused on relaxing his shivering body. _Calm down, Hiccup. Calm down._

Frowning, Astrid cocked her head. Did Hiccup still think that saying was true?

After a few moment of silence, the boy's shaking began to die down. Fishlegs grew excited, and turned to Astrid. "It's working! Now, all we have to do next is bandage the wound." He winced. "Do we have any cloth we could use for makeshift bandages around here? I-I didn't bring any bandages myself."

Astrid frowned. Cloth… cloth…

Suddenly, Toothless's bright red tail fin caught her eye. She grinned, and turned to Hiccup. "By any chance, do you have an extra cloth for Toothless's tail fin in your saddle bag? We could use that to slow down your bleeding."

"Y-yeah," Hiccup replied, wincing. "I-I try to be prepared i-in case of a-an emergency. L-like, if Toothless's tail fin w-was injured i-in a crash, I'd s-still have a-an extra one."

Astrid smiled, relieved. "Good." She waved Toothless over, and the dragon happily showed her the saddle bag strapped to his side. Astrid dug through the pouch's contents until she found the folded, thick piece of cloth she was looking for. When the girl pulled it out, she saw that it was a dark black color and fairly big- just the right size to cover Hiccup's arrow wound.

"O-okay," Fishlegs stammered. "We h-have to stabilize Hiccup while I… while I bandage him up. And, Hiccup, it's not going to be an exactly _pleasant_ experience."

Hiccup nodded, still determined not to show his fear. "Don't worry. I'm ready."

Astrid gripped Hiccup's hand, her knuckles turning white from the force of the hold. "You'll be fine." She grinned weakly. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you, alright? We'll get through this- together." She squeezed his hand harder. "We always do." _I won't let anything happen to you, Hiccup. Not ever again._

Hiccup closed his eyes, relaxing his expression. "T-hanks, Astrid."

Toothless grunted in frustration, and licked Hiccup's cheek once more in an attempt to get the boy's attention. Hiccup laughed. "And you too, Toothless. You too…" He nodded, taking in a shallow breath. "You can start now, Fishlegs. I'm prepared for what's coming."

"You better be, dragon boy," Snotlout huffed. "Or you'll have the twins and me blowing things up left and right."

"Yeah!" Tuffnut cheered. "Because we _like_ that kind of stuff!"

"Tuff!" Ruffnut smacked her brother's head. "We're supposed to be _encouraging!"_

Tuffnut faltered. "Oh. Well, in that case… I'll be positive from now on. Yep, I'm _positively_ sure that Hiccup isn't ready for this."

Ruffnut scowled. "You're the worst positive thinker ever!"

"That's a very positive thing to say."

"Guys!" Fishlegs cut in. "Now is not the time. Okay…" He swallowed. "Time to start…" Grabbing the dark cloth from Astrid, he placed it over Hiccup's bleeding wound. Hiccup let out a hiss of pain at the touch, but otherwise was silent. Fishlegs nodded, still holding the cloth to Hiccup side. Once a few moments had passed, he shared his diagnosis. "As long as we slow the blood from coming out, you'll be fine, Hiccup."

Hiccup tipped his head, eyes shut tightly. "Thank you, Fishlegs. Thank you, Astrid. Thanks _all_ of guys. I-I… couldn't have done this w-without you."

"Well, that's what friends are for," Astrid beamed. "We'll always be here when you need us."

Hiccup smiled. "Thank you… thank you…" His words trailed off, sleep rapidly taking over. In just seconds, the boy lapsed into a deep, peaceful, healing sleep, ready for a quick recovery to come.

And he knew that his friends would be right there for him every step of the way.

* * *

 ***claps* Whoop-whoop! Friendship rules! I hope you guys liked it! :D**

 **Sorry it took me so long to update… FanFiction stopped sending out chapter alerts for more than a week, so I didn't want to post anything without you guys knowing about it. *kicks FanFiction* WORK!**

 **Well, happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	10. I'll Take Care Of You

**I'll Take Care Of You:** Set in DOB. When Hiccup gets extremely sick in the middle of the night, Stoick has to take care of him- which would be great and all, being able to have some bonding time with his son... if it wasn't for Hiccup's hallucinations that Stoick still hated him and he was useless. Requested by Gabrielly790.

* * *

 **Hey, guys! Sorry I haven't updated lately, I've been busy with other stories and end of year testing… anyway, thanks to** **Gabrielly790,** **we have this awesome story! Thank you,** **Gabrielly790!**

 **And it's almost funny writing this right now, because *voice lowers to a whisper* I may have just worked myself into a slight fever this morning as well as Hiccup... *laughs nervously***

 **But I still wanted to write this for you all, so here you are!**

* * *

Stoick couldn't sleep.

At first, he thought it was nothing, and only turned over in his bed to try to find a more comfortable spot. But after a while, he sensed something was wrong. The house was too quiet… too still… a sense of apprehension filled the chief, and he suddenly wondered if Hiccup was alright.

 _Of course he's alright,_ Stoick told himself over and over again. _It's the middle of the night, what could happen? You're probably just overreacting..._

Yet as the minutes flew by, Stoick grew more and more anxious to see if everything was okay. He was about to get out of bed and go check on Hiccup, when, at that very moment, Toothless nudged open the door. His bright green eyes shone in the dark like beacons as dragon grunted, and gestured with his head to Stoick and then out of the room.

"Toothless?" the chief asked. "What is it? Is it Hiccup?" Toothless bobbed his head in a frenzy, and Stoick jumped out of bed. "Hiccup!" He raced out the door, Toothless by his side. "Hiccup?"

When he reached Hiccup's bedroom door, he didn't bother knocking. Stoick just barged in, his eyes darting this way and that. At first, nothing seemed to be wrong. Hiccup was in bed, asleep… but then Stoick heard his moans.

"Hiccup?" he whispered, slowly walking over to his son.

Hiccup replied with a pained groan, and rolled over in bed.

Stoick was getting worried, and he paced to Hiccup's bedside. "Son? Wake up, now. What hurts? Your leg?" He knew for a fact that Hiccup sometimes experienced phantom pains, and had a nasty habit of not telling anybody when he was having them.

"M'fine," Hiccup mumbled, but still moaned. "Don't want to… bother you…"

"Hiccup," Stoick said gently, "it's fine. All right, out with it. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing…"

"Hiccup."

"I… don't… feel all that well…"

Stoick's eyebrows lifted up in concern, and he crossed his arms. "Do you think you have a fever, lad?" When Hiccup didn't reply, the chief sighed. "Let me check your forehead, Hiccup. I don't want you getting any sicker."

Groaning, Hiccup rolled over in bed to face him, and that's when Stoick realized just how terrible the boy looked. His face was pale and sickly, he was shivering, and his green eyes were glazed with an obvious fever.

Stoick reached out with his hand and pressed it to his son's forehead. It was no surprise that Hiccup was burning up, but that didn't make it any less concerning. "You do have a fever, lad," Stoick said worriedly. "I'm going to have to try to break it…"

"You… don't have… to…" Hiccup slurred, his eyelids drooping. Gods, it was so hot… why did his head hurt so much?

"I'll be right back," the chief promised, edging away from the bed. "I'll just go downstairs to fetch a bucket of water and a rag…" He hated to leave Hiccup in a state like this, but he obviously needed to lower the boy's fever before it got any worse.

So Stoick hurried out of the room and down the stairs, propelled by the growing fear for Hiccup. It only took a few minutes to find a rag, but water was nowhere to be found. Stoick nearly cursed himself for not bringing in some earlier that evening. Now he'd have to go out to the well to get some.

 _I can't leave Hiccup, though,_ he told himself. _The boy's got a bad fever, and… but he has Toothless to look after him while I'm gone._ Stoick nodded, beginning to head out the door with an empty bucket in his hand. _I'll only be gone for a little while._ With one last glance up the stairs, the chief left his hut and headed to town.

* * *

 _That took longer than expected,_ Stoick grumbled to himself as he flung open his home's door. And it had. The amount of time it had taken for the water in the well to fill up his bucket seemed to last for hours, even though it probably took only a couple minutes.

Still, it felt like too much time had gone by since he had left his home, and he was anxious to see how Hiccup was doing, as the boy was still very much sick. So when Stoick heard a shriek from upstairs just as he opened the door, the natural thing to do was panic.

One moment the chief was calmly strolling through the door, the next he was bounding up the stairs, a bucket of water in one hand and a rag in the other. "Hiccup!" he shouted. "Hiccup, are you alright?" He burst into his son's room, panting.

Hiccup was awake in bed- sitting up, actually- and he was staring straight at Toothless. The boy let out another blood curdling scream as Toothless tried to comfort him. Hiccup looked up as his father came in, his eyes wide with pure fear. "Dad! There's a dragon in my room!" he shrieked, and scooted back in bed. "Get it away!"

Stoick went from mildly concerned to full-out terrified. Why didn't Hiccup recognize Toothless? He examined Hiccup closer, and noted that his eyes were even more glazed over than before. _It's the fever,_ he realized. _He must be delusional._

"Hiccup, Hiccup, it's alright," Stoick assured his son, walking over. Toothless rumbled, and blinked with confusion at Hiccup's behavior. "Did Toothless scare you?"

"T-T-Toothless?" Hiccup stuttered. He looked like he was about to faint.

"Yes, your dragon," Stoick explained, coming to his son's beside. He put the bucket of water on the floor, and dipped the rag in it. "Alright, I'm going to try to break your fever. Here." He brought out the wet cloth from the bucket and pressed it to Hiccup's forehead.

Eyes wide, Hiccup scooted back. "W-why are y-you acting so w-w-weird, Dad?" he asked. "Y-you usually don't c-care when I-I'm sick…"

Stoick cocked his head. "Yes, I do."

"What a-a-about that time w-when I-I-I got Eel Pox a-and you l-left me alone a-at home?"

The chief chewed at his lip, the painful memory being brought back to him. It was true. A few years back, Hiccup had gotten Eel Pox, but there was so much chiefing to do that day that he had had to leave Hiccup at home. Thankfully, Gobber stopped by that morning, and helped Hiccup through it. But Stoick had still left Hiccup alone, and that was something inexcusable.

"Hiccup, that was years ago," he reminded, dabbing at the boy's forehead with his rag. "I would never do that now."

"W-what changed?" Hiccup chattered, and looked even more pale than before, if that was possible. "I'm H-Hiccup the Useless, r-r-remember? No one c-cares about m-me… y-you should just g-go back t-to sleep and l-let me s-suffer…"

Stoick nearly dropped the rag in surprise. _Hiccup the Useless..._ Hiccup hadn't been called that in a long time… and now that it was up in the air… he shook his head. "Hiccup, you're not useless. You saved the whole village from the Red Death, you brought peace between dragons and vikings, you-"

"What…?" Hiccup interrupted, looking bewildered. He dared to glance over at Toothless, who was staring at Hiccup with concern. The boy gulped. "N-no… I c-could never do a-any of that… I-I… I-I'm different…"

"And that's what makes you special," Stoick smiled.

Hiccup was about to reply, when his face scrunched up in pain. He let out a yelp and clutched his stomach. Stoick's countenance suddenly turned pale with fear, and he rushed to pick up the withering boy in his arms. "Son!"

"Stomach… hurts…" Hiccup gasped, his eyes squeezed shut. "I think I'm going to-"

Stoick knew what his boy meant, and quickly held him over an empty bucket in the room. Hiccup emptied his stomach, and groaned. "Dad… don't feel… great…"

"I know, I know," Stoick whispered, wiping at Hiccup's mouth with a cloth. "But don't worry- I'll take care of you. I'm never leaving you ever again." Just for affect, he held the boy closer. "You'll feel better in the morning. I promise."

Toothless rumbled, and began to walk towards Stoick and Hiccup. Hiccup, alarmed, drew in a panicked breath and clutched at his father's shoulder. "D-Dad…" he said weakly. "Dragon… right there…"

Knowing what he meant, Stoick laid his son down on the bed and turned to Toothless. "It appears Hiccup doesn't recognize you at the moment," he stated, raising an eyebrow. "So you're going to have to keep your distance for now, alright, dragon?"

Toothless, though reluctant, backed away and settled with sitting down on his rock in the corner of the room.

Stoick swerved back to Hiccup, who was now shivering. He knew that his boy's fever must be getting worse, and once more dipped the cloth he had in his hand into the bucket of cool water.

Hiccup moaned, rolling over on his stomach. _Everything hurt..._ "Mom…"

That made Stoick freeze.

No, not just freeze, but also drop the cloth he was holding back into the water. Hiccup hadn't mentioned his mother in years, as Stoick disliked talking about her. It was probably fever induced that Hiccup believed his mother was still around, but it hurt Stoick's heart like he had been stabbed by a dagger.

Valka should be the one with Hiccup right now, not him. The boy needed a good mother around, like the other children had. Stoick couldn't fill that empty gap no matter how hard he tried. The chief swallowed, and looked over at Hiccup.

Hiccup was now lifting his head, and gave his father an odd look. "Why-" He let out a cough, which sounded too painful to be healthy. "Why a-are you s-s-still here?"

"I'd never leave," Stoick frowned, grabbing the cloth from the water. "Here, lad. Let's get you cooled down a bit. Your fever's gone up."

Hiccup rolled onto his back, his head propped up by a pillow. Sickness still was evident in his eyes, and the world around him seemed to be hazy. "Okay."

Stoick placed the cold rag on Hiccup's head, and the boy felt instant relief. His forehead had been on fire, he believed, but now the water in the rag was cooling him down. Hiccup closed his eyes as a drowsy consciousness unfurled.

Smiling, the chief patted Hiccup's limp arm. "There you go, lad… just go and fall asleep. I'll stay right here until you wake."

Hiccup's eyes peeked open. "Why… would you… do that…?"

"Because you're my son, and I love you." When Hiccup looked unconvinced, he sighed. "Hiccup… I love you. I do. I'd do anything in the world for you."

Hiccup shivered as his fever took grip of him again. "How can you love someone like me?" he whispered, his tone small and cowardly. "How can you love the useless? The forgotten?"

"Oh, Hiccup…" Stoick shook his head and allowed a smile to cross his lips. "You were never forgotten from the start. Maybe just pushed aside at times, or left out of different activities, but you were never forgotten. In fact, I thought about you every day."

Surprised, Hiccup smiled. "T-thanks, Dad," he mumbled. "Thank you…"

"I should be the one thanking you," Stoick returned. "You're the best son anyone could ask for."

"Really?"

"Really really."

Hiccup closed his eyes, the fever still strong inside of him, but not strong enough to prevent hope from entering his heart. "I-I love you t-too, Dad…" And then, without warning, he fell asleep, somewhere deep down knowing that his father would be there with him for the rest of the night.

And so Stoick and his boy were reunited at last.

* * *

 **Gooooooooood afternoon, Dragon's Edge! It's Purple, and Evil- and fever induced sarcasm- bringing you the end nooooooooootttttttttee! Hope you all enjoyed, and don't feel shy in leaving another request!**

 **Well, I should PROBABLY do something relaxing now…**

 **Like write some more! Mwahaha, happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	11. Sit Out, Dragon Boy!

**Sit Out, Dragon Boy!-** Set in RTTE. Berk is having another Thawfest, and this time, just with dragons. But when Hiccup gets hurt in one of the games and refuses to sit out, is he really making the right choice? Requested by Astrid E Lokison.

* * *

 **Sorry for not updating for like a week, guys! I have a bunch of other stories airing, and I had to update those too. Anyways, thank you Astrid E Lokison for this idea! I'm sorry I didn't write it sooner, but I hope you'll still enjoy it! :D**

 **Now… let the one-shot begin! *claps hands dramatically* *lights dim* *cheesy music plays***

* * *

"I am _so_ going to win this," Snotlout bragged to the other teens, his chest puffing out in pride. "Me and Hooky are unstoppable. Aren't we, boy?"

The Monstrous Nightmare beside him snorted out a puff of smoke, covering Snotlout's eyes.

"Hey!" Snotlout yelled, waving the smoke away. "Hookfang, we talked about this!"

Hiccup cleared his throat, looking around the arena they were in now. It was yet another day on Berk, and more sunny than usual. The Riders had recently been called back to Berk by Stoick, who wanted to spend some time with his son, which then led to the Berkians getting over-eager for some type of entertainment. And that's when someone suggested having another Thawfest. Except this time, just with dragons so the riders could show off their skills.

Hiccup couldn't lie. He _was_ excited about doing Thawfest for once, because now he knew that Snotlout would never win and humiliate Hiccup in front of the entire village. Bad memories still coated Hiccup's mind from previous Thawfests.

Gobber appeared at the top of the arena a moment later, looking down at the Riders. A large smile appeared on his face, and he yelled to all the Berkians, "Quiet down, now! The Thawfest is about to begin!"

The crowd whispered excitedly, but hushed soon after.

"All right, then!" Gobber boomed, casting a spare glance at Stoick beside him, before he returned his attention to the Berkians. "This Thawfest will consist of three different activities- _all_ of them using dragons."

Hiccup felt a smile twitch on his mouth, and he and Astrid nodded at each other. They'd each play their best, but it would definitely be a close match between them.

Stoick stood up from his seat, interrupting Gobber from going any further. "The first test will be the hurdles, where you will try your best to dodge and fly through them on your dragons. Second, you'll be attacking moving targets with as much ferocity and quickness you can muster. The third is air acrobats, judged on how well and how skilled you are on your dragon while flying." He nodded. "Questions?"

Snotlout laughed. "Yeah, Chief. Why can't I just get my medals already? We all know who's going to win."

Glaring, Stoick crossed his arms. " _Excuse me_?"

"Uh…" For once, Snotlout looked uncertain. "Nothing, sir."

"Good." He nodded. "Now, let the Thawfest begin!"

The Berkians erupted in cheers as the Riders mounted their dragons, eyeing the hurdles set up ahead. "Snotlout will go first!" Gobber announced. "Then Astrid, Hiccup, Fishlegs, and finally Ruffnut and Tuffnut."

Snotlout snickered. "See? I knew I'd be first, 'cause I'm the best."

"Oh, that's not why you were chosen first, Snotlout," Tuff corrected him with a smile. "Berk just wants to see you totally humiliated first." He shrugged at Snotlout's angry expression. "What? I'm just saying what everybody else is thinking!"

Ruffnut nodded. "True, brother!"

Growling, Snotlout patted Hookfang. "Come on, Hooky. Let's go and show these losers how it's done." He and his dragon clawed up into the sky, before they swooped down and headed towards the hurdles. "All right, we can do this, buddy," Snotlout muttered, his eyes flashing. "A little further… a-and…" He swallowed. The hurdles were coming up so close… what if he didn't make it? He felt his palms sweating from anxiety.

Hookfang, sensing his rider's hesitation, suddenly swerved away from the upcoming hurdles- and started to crash land right where Hiccup sat on Toothless. Hiccup's eyes widened as Hookfang came crashing their way. "Toothless, look out!" he yelled.

One moment the boy and his dragon were on the ground, the next they were flying through the air. Toothless landed with a thump on the hard ground nearby, and almost immediately all the breath was knocked out of him. Hiccup, however, smacked down a few feet away with Toothless, his right knee making a crunch as it collided with the ground. He let out a painful yelp, and collapsed.

"Hiccup!" Stoick cried, standing up. He could barely believe how suddenly this had happened... " _Hiccup!"_

Astrid gasped, leaping off of Stormfly. "Hiccup!" She raced over to the groaning boy, her hands grasping onto his shoulders as she pulled him towards her. "Hiccup, are you okay? Please answer..."

Hiccup grimaced, but managed to force a weak smile onto his face. "Never better." He cringed. "Right knee… does hurt a bit, though…"

Stoick and Skullcrusher dropped down next to Hiccup a second later, as the did other riders. Snotlout looked guilty for once, Fishlegs was whimpering, the twins seemed concerned, and Stoick… he looked absolutely terrified.

The chief bounded over quickly, scooping his son up in his arms like he was a small rag doll. "Son, are you all right?"

Hiccup tried to wave him off, but was cringing. "Yeah, yeah… I'm okay… just… my knee was scratched a little. It's nothing…"

Stoick looked down at Hiccup's knees, and gasped. On the boy's right leg, his pants had been ripped open at the knee joint, revealing a bloody gash and a slightly twisted bone. "Hiccup," he began, dropping to a knee so it would be more comfortable for his son. "We… we have to get you to Gothi."

"Dad, I'm fine," Hiccup pushed. "Just get… me a bandage or something. I didn't fly back here all the way from the Edge to sit out of the most exciting activity on Berk!" When his father looked unconvinced, he sighed. "Look, I'll take it easy, but I still want to participate in the Thawfest."

"Hiccup," Astrid began dangerously. "You better sit out _right now_ , dragon boy. _Or_ _else._ "

Making an effort to roll his eyes, Hiccup sat up in his father's protective clutch. "I'm fine! Come on, all I need is a bandage, and then we can get a move on!" He smiled up at Stoick. "Right, Dad? What do you say?"

Stoick shook his head, the decision firm in his mind. "No, Hiccup! You're not doing _anything_! And I'm not changing my mind!"

* * *

"The second test," Gobber began, pacing as he eyed the teens standing below him, "is attacking moving targets. You'll be judged by how quick you shoot them, and how many you hit."

Hiccup patted Toothless's head. "You ready for this, bud?" Toothless growled, but nodded. Yes, it had taken awhile for Stoick to agree to letting Hiccup compete in the next games, but he eventually let him. Hiccup could be very persuasive at times. "Aw, hush, nothing's going to go bad again," Hiccup chided at his dragon.

Toothless grumbled, shifting on his feet.

Hiccup winced at the movement. His right knee still ached terribly, though he pretended that all was well. And it didn't help that it was on his _right_ leg- his only good leg. That would make flying Toothless all the harder.

He saw Stoick glance down at him worriedly, but he shook his head, signaling he was fine _._ The chief relaxed, settling back in his seat. He still kept a close eye on Hiccup though.

"Hiccup! You're up first this time!" Gobber said with a grin. "Come on and show us what you got!"

"Gladly!" Hiccup shouted back, his eyes narrowing in determination. He scratched Toothless's neck before taking off and heading in the direction of the abandoned wooden docks. It was a lot like the last Thawfest, with different cardboard characters set to pop up as either good or bad people.

Hiccup glanced down from Toothless, looking for any signs of new targets. There was nothing so far, and he started to lower his guard. But suddenly, a cardboard woman jumped out, and Toothless nearly fired a plasma blast at her. "No! Don't shoot!" Hiccup yelped. "She's good!"

Toothless sucked back in his shot.

The two glided over the rest of the seemingly-abandoned area, when Hiccup's knee really started to hurt. He grimaced, and resisted the urge to clutch the wound. If he showed he was feeling pain now, his father would make him sit out for the rest of Thawfest. But Hiccup wasn't going to let that happen.

He swallowed his pain, and continued to fly Toothless. A cardboard man abruptly jumped out, with a mask over his face and a whip in his hand. "Shoot, bud!" Hiccup yelled. Toothless blasted the cardboard Dragon Hunter to bits, rumbling with approval. The crowd cheered from behind him.

Hiccup's vision flickered as the pain in his knee worsened. He tried to steer Toothless to the right, trying to find a place to land, but with only one working leg- and barely working at that-, he slipped up with the pedals… and suddenly he and Toothless were falling.

"Hiccup!" Stoick yelled. His face paled as he turned to Skullcrusher. _No… not again…_ He jumped onto his dragon's back, determined to save his son. "Down, Skullcrusher!" The Rumblehorn obediently abided, and flew Stoick in Hiccup's direction.

As for Hiccup and Toothless, they weren't doing too well. Hurdling towards the ground at rapid speed, Toothless managed to only pull up just in time before they hit the ground. The sudden jolt made Hiccup cry out in pain, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as his form went limp.

The boy would have fallen off of Toothless if it wasn't for Stoick's quick thinking. Only a Viking could have leapt off his dragon's back, ran forward at an incredible pace, and caught someone before they fell to the ground.

Stoick grabbed his son just as his head nearly collided with the pavement, and held him gently. "Hiccup, no…" he breathed, his face a ghastly white. He clutched his unconscious son in his arms, horrified with what just happened. "Come on… wake up now, lad."

A worried silence filled the crowd, and the Riders watched in concern. Fishlegs had to hold Astrid back from flying over to Hiccup, as it wouldn't help. Nothing could.

Stoick's eyes widened as he looked back down at Hiccup's injured knee. Blood was soaking through the bandages, starting to trickle down his leg. _He should have told me!_ Stoick thought with worry, shaking his son again. _He never tells me when he's in pain… oh, Hiccup, why do you have to go and be so stubborn…?_

"Son, _please,"_ he said, his hand shaking Hiccup's shoulder. His voice cracked. "I need you."

For a moment, there was just the soft silence of Hiccup's barely-audible breathing. And then, the boy's eyes slowly fluttered open, and he looked around in confusion. "D-Dad?" he croaked. "Why am I… what…"

Stoick laughed in relief, and brought his son up to his chest for a hug. "You scared me, lad," he admitted, then Hiccup rest in his arms once more. "When you and Toothless fell, I-"

"It's okay." Hiccup smiled, as weak as it was. "I'm okay now."

"You're certainly not _okay_ , Hiccup!" Stoick scolded, shaking his head as he stood up. Toothless rumbled from beside him, keeping an eye on his rider. "You almost crash landed on your dragon _again,_ you faint from the pain of the wound on your knee, and you tell me you're okay?"

Hiccup grimaced. "I'm… okay- _ish_?"

Stoick looked exasperated, but inside he was relieved to have Hiccup's sarcasm back. He had been so afraid when his boy had collapsed… that he was experiencing so much pain… it made him wish to never get that feeling again.

"We should get you to Gothi's," Stoick advised, beginning to walk back to the worried riders. "She'll help you. I don't want you getting hurt anymore."

Hiccup yawned. "Dad… I'm pretty tired…" He paused, trying to think his way out of going to Gothi. "Since you won't let me stay here… c-can we go home?"

Stoick's hard expression all at once melted into a soft one, and he nodded. "Aye. If that's what you wish." Then, he reached the Dragon Riders.

"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled, running over once she was released from Fishlegs' grip. "Are you all right?"

Nodding, Hiccup tried to get out of Stoick's arms to show her that he was fine, but Stoick wouldn't have it. He only clutched the boy tighter.

"Gods… I thought I told you to sit out, dragon boy!" Astrid sighed, running a hand down her face. She smiled slightly. "I'm just… I'm just glad you're all right. Who knows what could have happened if Toothless didn't pull to a stop in time…"

"Yeah, he is pretty amazing," Hiccup smiled. "Aren't you, bud?"

Toothless rumbled happily.

"Well, we better get you home now, lad," Stoick said, still concerned with Hiccup's wounded state. "I'll call Gothi over in the morning if you get any worse. But for now, I expect you to stay on strict bed-rest. For a week."

Hiccup started to argue back, but was stopped by a growling Toothless. He gave up, as it was no use to argue with a stubborn Night Fury. "Fine… fine… but I'm not going to enjoy it!"

Astrid laughed. "What else is new?"

"Oh, yes," Hiccup said sarcastically, "thank you, Astrid, for being so supportive."

"You know," the girl drawled, examining her fingers. "I'd punch you if you weren't already wounded."

"I'm sure you would, milady."

"Hiccup, it's time to go," Stoick reminded gently. Hiccup nodded reluctantly as the chief whistled over to Skullcrusher. "Come here, boy! We're going home." The Rumblehorn trotted across the pavement to them, and Stoick heaved himself onto the back of the dragon with Hiccup in his arms. "Up, Skullcrusher!"

The dragon flew up, and Stoick waved goodbye to all the teens and the Berkians.

"Come get me if you need anything!" Hiccup yelled as he soared off. "I'm free all week!"

He was promptly answered with a scolding from Stoick.

Even so, Hiccup couldn't fight off the grin that came to his face. He sat up in his father's arms, and was even allowed to place himself right in front of the chief. Stoick smiled down at Hiccup, and decided to speak. "No more Thawfests for awhile, eh?"

Hiccup laughed. "For some weird reason," he began, "I completely agree."

Stoick patted his son's shoulder with a tender expression. "Good."

And for once, Hiccup finally felt at peace.

* * *

 **Yay! It's finally done! *streamers explode* Hope you all liked it! Excuse any mistypes or run on sentences… I'm really not feeling too great today.**

 **Well, remember, if you want to request a one-shot, PM me or leave a review with your idea, and I'll see what I can do. But it'll probably take a bit of time for me to get around to, since I already have quite a few requested stories waiting for me to write... *chuckles nervously***

 **Yeah, so everyone go and have an awesome night! Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	12. The Sick Card

**The Sick Card:** When Hiccup gets a nasty case of Eel Pox at the Edge, the Riders have to take care of him. But unfortunately, a sick Hiccup is a clingy Hiccup... Requested by  SailorMew4

* * *

 **Hey, guys! Yeah, yeah, don't kill me for not updating for awhile... I've been either injured or feeling sick. (long story) But, here it is! The next one shot! Thank you SailorMew4 for this grand idea! Every time I read over the story, I just laugh. (You'll see why...)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"I told you," Hiccup huffed, struggling to sit up in bed. "I'm _fine_."

Astrid placed a fake smile on her lips, rolling her eyes. "Sure you are! That's why you're burning up all over, and have thrown up three times already today. Come on, face it, Hiccup- you're sick!"

"I'm not sick," Hiccup muttered. "Just... just..."

"Ooh ooh!" Tuff cried from the other side of the room. "Just what? Ugh, don't tell me... how many guesses do we get?"

Astrid put a hand on her hip. "Tuff, this is serious. We don't know what Hiccup is sick with, and if there's some type of cure we need to get... _Tuffnut, are you even listening to a word I'm saying?_ _Tuffnut!"_

Tuffnut was _not_ listening to Astrid at all. In fact, he was mimicking how Astrid was acting to Ruffnut, and the twins laughed to themselves. "I'm Astrid," Tuffnut mocked, swaggering around. "I want everyone to do exactly what I say, and when I say it. Na na na..."

Astrid was ready to draw her axe, but Heather interceded. "Come on, guys. Hiccup's sick. At least show a little compassion."

Hiccup groaned, sinking into his bed covers. "Not sick..."

"Based on your symptoms so far, you are," Fishlegs said, adding a little whimper at the end like he was afraid to break the news. "But with what, though?"

Snotlout crossed his arms. "Probably just a little cold. Leave it to Hiccup to get this sick!"

Hiccup sat up. "For the last time, guys, I'm not-" His face suddenly turned an ugly shade of green. "I need a bucket," he gasped, clutching his stomach. " _Now."_

Astrid, knowing what he meant, was on him in an instant. She grabbed the bucket she had washed out earlier from the doorway, and ran over to Hiccup, placing it under his chin. The boy convulsed, throwing up once... twice… and then three times.

"Oh, man, he really _is_ sick!" Snotlout laughed. "Wow!"

Astrid shot him a glare, angry with him for laughing at a thing like this. "Was that not clear already?" When Snotlout silenced, she returned her attention to Hiccup. She winced at the sight of him now. He looked dangerously pale at the moment, and was shaking all over. "Hiccup? You okay?" she asked.

Hiccup looked up at her with a dazed expression. "Hot," he managed out, right before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out.

The group gasped, and Astrid yelled, "Hiccup!", catching his head.

"Oh Thor," Fishlegs murmured, a hand flying to his mouth. "Oh Thor, oh Thor..."

Tuffnut looked amazed. "Woah! He like _totally_ passed out!"

"I want to do it too!" Ruffnut declared, stomping her foot down. "Why can't we be sick, too? Hiccup gets all the fun! He's always being kidnapped, wounded, or knocked out. He never lets any of us have a chance." She huffed, annoyed.

"Uh, shouldn't we do something?" Heather asked, worried. "Something is most definitely wrong with Hiccup. Why'd he pass out like that all the sudden?"

Astrid bit her lip, slowly lying Hiccup down on his bed. "Guys, be quiet. Hiccup… he's not waking up… _Hiccup!_ Come on..."

Everyone in the room silenced, watching their unconscious friend with wide eyes. But one minute later, the unconscious boy groaned, eyelids flickering until they completely opened up. But Hiccup's normal, healthy green eyes were now doused with fever, and he looked very confused when he saw Astrid leaning over him. "What... what happened?"

"You passed out," the girl explained, stroking his arm. "Moving around must have put too much stress on your fever. So no more of that, okay? Gods, I knew you were sick..."

Hiccup cocked his head. "Me? Sick? Nah, I'm not sick. I feel fine! I feel... _amazing_!" He sat up, stretching while smiling. "Now, let's go troll-hunting before the vermin steal our left socks!" He giggled, and swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up shakily. "Who's ready to go? I know _I_ am!"

Astrid rushed over, and forced him to sit down. "Hiccup! What's going on?" she scolded. "This is no time for jokes!"

Laughing, Hiccup fell backwards on his bed. "I want to go outside!" he yelled excitedly, fists pumping in the air. "And then I can ride my dragon and we can obliterate everything in our path! KAPOW! KAPOW! KAPOW!" He demonstrated by pretending to pound the air.

Fishlegs looked nervous. "Guys… I think I know what Hiccup's sick with."

"Oh no," Heather breathed. "I've heard of this…. But he can't have-"

" _Eel pox_?" Astrid interrupted, marching up to Fishlegs. "But how? There hasn't been an outbreak of that for years! Why would Hiccup get it, and why wouldn't we?"

Fishlegs shrugged. "I really don't know. I'd have to do some tests, but-"

"KKAAAAAAAPOOOWWWW!" screamed Hiccup, sitting up straight in bed. The riders were startled by the loud sound, and swerved over to him. Hiccup was beaming at the attention. "KAPOW KAPOW KAPOW KAPOW!"

Ruffnut broke into a grin. "Yes! Hiccup's at last come to join Loki's side!"

Tuffnut wiped an imaginary tear away from his eye. "I always knew this day would come…"

"Guys, _focus_ ," Astrid pressed, annoyed. "We need to get the cure for him, and soon."

Tuffnut scratched the back of his head. "I don't know, Astrid… I kind of like this new Hiccup!" He turned to the other boy, who was currently sitting up in bed, watching them with fascination. Tuffnut grinned. "How about some explosions? Huh, H?"

Hiccup nodded enthusiastically.

Astrid smacked her forehead. "Okay, okay… let me think… okay. Heather, you and Fishlegs go get the cure for Hiccup's Eel Pox. Fishlegs, you remember the ingredients of the cure, right?"

Fishlegs whimpered. "Yes, I have an excellent memory, but-"

"Good," Astrid cut in, already moving back over to Hiccup. "You'll have to go to Healer's Island and Eel Island to get all the herbs, and then bring them back here as soon as you can. Hiccup obviously needs the cure soon as possible."

Heather nodded, rearing to go. "Of course." She looked over at Fishlegs. "All right, are you ready to leave now?"

"Uhhh…" Fishlegs swallowed. "Yeah. Okay. For Hiccup."

Smiling, Heather slowly made her way over to the door. "Then come on," she said. "We don't want Hiccup getting any worse." She grinned supportively over at Astrid.

Astrid smiled back, and nodded.

"Well, we'll be off now!" the black haired girl announced, hopping onto Windshear who awaited outside Hiccup's hut. "And we're not coming back without the cure."

Fishlegs climbed aboard Meatlug, grimacing. "Yeah… bye guys." He gulped.

The two riders nudged their dragons to take off, and soon they were flying away in the bright morning sky, leaving the others behind.

Astrid put her hands on her hips once they were gone, watching the giggling Hiccup who was rolling around in his bed. She sighed, wringing her hands together. "All right, guys… this shouldn't be too hard, right? We've dealt with sickness before."

Snotlout snorted, crossing his arms. "Yeah. Like we'd _want_ to deal with Eel Pox again." He shivered. "There's some things I remember about that day when all of Berk got it, and _none_ of it is good."

"Well," Astrid groaned. "Isn't this going to be fun?" She looked over at Hiccup, who was lying down in bed, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. She pursed her lips. "Hiccup, what are you doing?"

A smile twitched at the boy's lips, and he pointed to the place he was looking at. "I see the stars above!" he grinned. "So many stars… _so many!"_

Astrid ran a hand down her face. Maybe this wouldn't be as simple as she had expected.

* * *

The first person to take care of Hiccup was Astrid. She had insisted that everyone take a turn watching him for a few hours a day until he got the cure, and reluctantly all the riders had agreed.

When Astrid arrived at Hiccup's hut with a bucket of water and a rag to keep down his fever, Hiccup was quiet and shivering. "Hey, you okay?" she asked, dropping the water bucket on the floor next to his bed. "You don't look so good."

Hiccup moaned, turning over in bed. "I'm cold…"

Astrid grimaced, and nodded. "I'll get you a blanket, then." She was about to go to the end of his bed to grab one, but Hiccup said something else before she could have the chance to.

"Astrid?"

"Yes, Hiccup?"

Hiccup shivered. "Can you… can you cuddle with me?"

Nearly bursting, Astrid's face turned scarlet. "Cuddle? Hiccup-!" She stopped before she could go any further. _It's just his fever talking,_ she told herself, fists clenching. _He'd never say that to me if he was feeling well. It's not his fault, Astrid… he's delirious..._

"No, Hiccup," she told him, wincing. "If I… um… _cuddle_ with you, I might catch Eel Pox as well. And who would take care of you then?"

Hiccup stopped rolling around, and looked up at her with those shining green eyes, now full of hurt. He coughed, about to protest, when he noticed a lock of his brown hair hanging down in front of his face. He cocked his head, intrigued. "Hmmm... Astrid? Why do I have fuzzy hair and you have straight?"

Astrid was confused at Hiccup's sudden change of conversation, but she shrugged, going along with it. "I don't know… genes?"

Hiccup sat up in bed, sweating all over from both the high fever and excitement. "Genes... genes... wait. Do you… do you mean _genies_?"

"Genies?" Astrid frowned. "Hiccup, what-"

Hiccup grabbed a piece of his hair, and closed his eyes. "I wish… I wish…" His eyelids shot open with exhilaration. "I wish I could become a dragon!" He waited happily for a change to come while Astrid face palmed herself.

"Hiccup, you're not-"

Hiccup began to flap his arms, smiling. "Rawwwrr! I'm a dragon," he growled, looking over at Toothless. "I can fly!"

Astrid sighed. "Hiccup, no you can't."

Even more propelled than before, Hiccup swung his arms around and around until he fell out of the bed, face flat on the floor. He giggled. "I flllleeewwwwwwwwwwwwww, Astrid…. I ffflllleeeewwwwww!"

Toothless gave Astrid a questioning look, and Astrid shrugged. "Come on, dragon boy, let's get you back into bed for you get any sicker…"

Hiccup shook his head, his nose being flattened against the floor. "No! I want to fly again!" He started to spread his arms out and then back in, like he was making snow angels- except, on the floor. "See? I'm flllyyyyyyiiiiiinnnnnggggg!" he laughed.

Astrid sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

The next person to take care of Hiccup was- unfortunately- Snotlout. The beefy boy couldn't say he was happy about this arrangement, but it was either that or facing Astrid's axe.

He quickly chose the first option.

Snotlout sighed, watching Hiccup stare up at the ceiling from his spot on the bed. Hiccup didn't exactly look like he _needed_ anything at the moment… maybe Snotlout could sneak out and let him be for now… yeah. And so Snotlout was about to slip out of his room and go destroy things with Hookfang, when Hiccup coughed.

"Snotlout? I'm thirsty… can you get me a water?"

Groaning, Snotlout paused in his footsteps. "Fine, fine…" He looked around the room for a water cup, and saw one sitting on Hiccup's desk. He hastily grabbed it and walked over to the other boy. "Here, drink up. I haven't got all day…"

Hiccup coughed once, grabbing the cup from Snotlout. He held it up to his lips, and there was the slurping, the swallowing, and the gulping before he was finished. "Thanks," he slurred, handing the cup back to Snotlout.

Snotlout took the cup away, and placed it on Hiccup's desk. "Uh, sure, cuz. Whatever."

There was silence for a moment, and then Hiccup closed his eyes. Snotlout smiled, backing away. If Hiccup was asleep, then maybe he had a chance of getting out of this stupid babysitting job. But just as he edged near the door again, his cousin's eyes opened, and he coughed.

"Snotlout..."

Snotlout groaned. "What?"

"I'm thirsty... can you get me a water?"

"Hiccup, you just... you... _argh!_ " Snotlout exclaimed, rolling his eyes. He kicked the side of the room.

"Snotlout?"

"What?!"

"I'm thirsty. Can you get me a water?"

" _Arrrghh!"_

* * *

After Snotlout's unlucky dilemma, it was Tuff's turn to take care of Hiccup. And boy, was he excited. "Hiccup!" Tuffnut cried, climbing up to Hiccup's loft in excitement. "What do you want to do first, H? Huh? Explosions? Pranks? Ooh ooh, we can we destroy Fishlegs' hut since he's gone?

Hiccup moaned, rolling over in bed. "Tired..."

Tuffnut froze in his tracks, face falling. "Aw, no, Hiccup! You're-you're fine! Come on. Let's explode something!"

Grunting, Hiccup shook his head, eyes closed. "I think I'm going to... be going to sleep now." He paused. "Tuff... can you- can you read me a story?"

At this, Tuffnut burst out laughing, wiping tears away from his eyes. "Haha, very funny, Hiccup..."

Hiccup opened his tear-filled eyes, confused. "But… why can't you read me a story?"

"Wait," Tuff said suspiciously, "you're serious?"

Hiccup nodded.

Tuffnut cleared his throat. "Um, okay, then. Whatever makes you happy..." He walked over to Hiccup, and sat down in a chair next to his bed. "Um, so I only know one story: The Little Viking Who Cried Dragon. Is that okay? Or, you know, we could totally go back to destroying stuff if you don't like it."

Hiccup shook his head, defiant. "No! I want a story!" He gave Tuff puppy dog eyes. "Pweeaase...?"

Biting his lip, Tuffnut nodded. "I can't say no to those eyes, can I? So... hmm..." He cleared his throat. "All right. Once upon a Viking time, there was a little boy named, uh... uh..."

Hiccup snuggled deeper under the covers cozily. "Named what?"

"Named... Hic... yeah, Hiccup!" Tuffnut decided, smiling. "Anyways, this little Hiccup wanted attention from the villagers of his island. One night, when he was out on watch for the incoming dragons raids, he cried falsely, 'The dragons are here! The dragons are here!' And the villagers got up from bed to begin fighting, but there were no dragons. Hiccup had lied."

Hiccup started to sob. "I didn't lie, Tuff! I didn't lie!" he exclaimed.

Alarmed, Tuffnut stood up and tried to calm him down. "No, no, it's another Hiccup! Not you!"

Hiccup blinked slowly. "It... it is?" he sniffed.

"Yeah, yeah, of course..." Tuffnut sat back down in his chair, leaning back. "Uh, so, the villagers learned that Hiccup had lied, and they returned to their huts. The next night, Hiccup was put on watch again as well, and the same exact thing happened: Hiccup lied. He had never learned his lesson from the night before."

Except for a tear trickling down his cheek, Hiccup was silent.

"But, the next night Hiccup was put on watch, he _did_ see dragons coming, and shouted to arouse the villagers. But the villagers didn't believe him because of the last few times, and the dragons took him far, far, away." Tuff paused, smiling. "The end!"

Hiccup shook his head sadly. "Poor Hiccup..."

"I guess." Tuffnut shrugged. "So, are you ready to sleep now?"

"No."

Tuff crossed his arms, confused. "Then when _will_ you sleep?"

Hiccup pouted. "I want a story!"

Tuffnut, groaning, sunk down into the chair. Explosions were certainly not going to come any time soon at this rate.

* * *

Ruffnut cracked her knuckles, looking down at Hiccup. "So. I hear you've been pretty difficult today… is that right?"

Hiccup blinked, shifting his position in his bed. "I don't know."

"Oh, so you're playing the 'I don't know' card, now are you?" Ruffnut glared, putting her hands on her hips. "Well, it's not going to work on me! I _know_ when people are lying. And you're lying at this very moment, Hiccup Haddock! So I, Ruffnut Thorston, will figure out the reason behind your actions!" She narrowed her eyes. "Let's begin. Question number one: what is your defense against this accusation?"

Coughing, Hiccup shrugged. "I don't know."

"Of course you don't!" Ruffnut shouted angrily. "They _always_ don't know!"

Hiccup closed his eyes. "I really… don't feel good…" He coughed again weakly, and Ruffnut suddenly noticed, even through her anger, how pale he was getting. Sweat ran down his forehead, trailed down his neck, and was slowly making a small collection on his shoulders. Hiccup grimaced in pain, clutching himself. "I'm… so hot…"

Ruffnut felt a pang of worry starting to grow inside of her. "Are you all right?"

Hiccup turned over in bed, clutching his pillow. "Hot," he repeated again.

"I should go get Astrid," murmured Ruff, backing away. "Okay, Hiccup! I'll be back here soon, don't worry! You'll feel better in no time."

"Hot…"

"Yeah, I know…" Ruffnut turned to Toothless, who was sitting beside Hiccup's bed in concern. The Night Fury rumbled, and Ruff sighed. "Stay here with him, Toothless," she told him. "Don't let him go anywhere, okay? I'll be back soon enough." Toothless whined in agreement, and Ruffnut ran off from Hiccup's quarters, down the ladder to the loft, and out the door. "Astrid!" she yelled, making her way to her friend's hut. "Astrid!" It was quite dark out, and hard to see where she was going, but she managed to make it to the other girl's hut, gasping for air. "Hiccup's really sick now! He needs help!"

Before Ruffnut could even knock, Astrid's door slammed open, revealing a very concerned blonde. "What?" Astrid demanded, grabbing Ruff by the shoulders. "What's wrong with Hiccup?"

The twin, shrugging Astrid off, began to walk back over to Hiccup's hut, nervous. "He keeps on saying he's hot, and now he's sweating a bunch… it doesn't look good."

Astrid's blue eyes filled with worry, and she quickened her pace. "His fever must be rising… we need to get that cure soon, before the fever gets too high, and-" She stopped herself, shaking her head. "For now, all we can do is try and make him comfortable."

Ruff nodded, but was barely following along. "Right."

The two arrived at Hiccup's hut, and panicked, they raced inside. The girls heard groaning from above, making them look up at Hiccup's loft, exchanging worried looks. "Hiccup?!" yelled Astrid, climbing up to his loft. "Hiccup, are you all right?"

When she reached the top, she saw that Hiccup was rolling around in his bed, moaning. His face covered in sweat, and Toothless was trying to comfort him, but Hiccup was too delirious to calm down. "Oh, Hiccup!" Astrid exclaimed, running over to his bed. "You're going to be all right… it's okay…"

"A..std…?" Hiccup mumbled, clutching onto his blankets. "Hot…"

"Yeah, Hiccup. I'm right here. And I'm not going anywhere." Astrid stood by Hiccup's side, bending over to check his forehead temperature. She winced. "Okay, Hiccup. We're going to try to bring down your fever until Fishlegs and Heather get back…"

Hiccup whimpered. "Hot… so hot…"

"I know, I know," Astrid whispered, fetching the water bucket from the floor, along with a rag. "But you'll feel better soon, I promise…"

Ruffnut arrived up at the loft, cocking her head above the floorboards. "What's going on?"

Astrid blew a lock of blonde hair out of her eyes, dipping the rag she was holding in her bucket of water. "I'm trying to cool Hiccup down from his fever… here, you can help. Go and get some more buckets of water- and bring the other riders if you can. We need all the help we can get."

Ruff nodded, surprisingly obedient. "Uh, sure... I'll be back soon, then." And she climbed down once more.

Astrid dabbed at Hiccup's burning forehead with her rag, lips pursed with concern. "You'll be okay, Hiccup," she smiled. "I know you will."

But Hiccup did not even have the strength to reply.

* * *

The next day was extremely hectic, with many errand runs to get more water for Hiccup, or keep a lookout for the much-awaited Heather and Fishlegs.

And Astrid was more frantic than she had ever been before. Hiccup, despite all the riders' hard work, wasn't getting better. In fact, he was getting worse. Nightmares plagued his thoughts at night, making his fevers all the worse, he refused to eat or drink anything, and could barely move at all.

So when Astrid spotted Fishlegs and Heather coming their way the next evening, she was filled with relief. She knew that if Hiccup didn't get the Eel Pox cure soon, he was in big trouble.

"We're back!" Fishlegs cheered, landing with a prominent thud on Meatlug next to Hiccup's hut. Heather and Windshear dropped beside him, looking exhausted and worried.

Astrid raced out of the ground floor of Hiccup's hut, jogging over to the two. "Thank Thor!" she breathed. "Hiccup really needs the cure now _._ Come on, we have to hurry!"

Fishlegs' eyes widened. "So, I take it he hasn't gotten any better since we left?"

Darkening, Astrid shook her head. "More like a lot worse."

"We have to hurry, then," Heather interrupted, already jumping off of Windshear and walking inside Hiccup's hut. "I have the cure in my satchel. Let's go."

Astrid smiled, following her friend. "Good."

The trio rushed inside, and one by one they made their way up to Hiccup. Snotlout and the twins were busy dunking towels in the water buckets, and they looked up in relief as Heather, Astrid, and Fishlegs came in.

"Well, it's about time!" Snotlout complained, throwing his wet towel down on the floor as he stood up. "I swear, my arms feel like they're about to fall off!"

"Yeah!" Tuffnut agreed, dropping his towel on the ground too. "Hiccup gets so needy when he's sick."

Astrid shot the two boys a death glare. "Hiccup's ill with Eel Pox, guys, and there's still a chance of… of him not making it. So this is no time for self pity, useless complaints, or blaming Hiccup for something he's not even control of!" She turned to Heather, eyes wild with worry. "Okay, now where's the cure?"

Heather grabbed her brown satchel from her side, and dug through it until she fished out a large bottle filled with a dark green liquid. She handed it over to Astrid quickly. "Here it is."

Astrid barely even paused to thank her before she uncorked the bottle, walking over to where Hiccup laid. "Hey, dragon boy?" she began, bringing the medicine closer to him. "You're going to have to drink this, okay?"

Hiccup mumbled something incoherent, his eyes still shut.

Biting her lip, Astrid pressed the bottle's top up to Hiccup's mouth. "All right, drink up."

Hiccup's mouth slightly parted open, and he forced himself to swallow the green liquid. When almost all of it was gone, he pulled away, gagging. "Tastes… awful…," he moaned.

Fishlegs nodded from the corner of the room. "As to be expected."

"How do you feel?" Astrid asked after a moment. "Any better? Worse?"

Hiccup peeked open his green eyes, sparing a glance at her. "I feel… a little better, I think…" He smiled. "Good, the room isn't dancing any more. Good, good, good, good, good…" He trailed off, eyelids closing. "Still hot, though…"

Astrid smirked, relieved. "Yeah, well you'll feel better in the morning, dragon boy."

Hiccup slowly nodded. "I know," he whispered. "And… and thank you, guys, for all your help. I don't r-remember a lot of what h-happened while I was delirious, but you all helped m-me through it, so thank you."

"Well, don't expect it to happen again!" Snotlout warned. "That was a one time thing. The Snot Master doesn't care for anyone."

He received a punch from Astrid.

Smiling, Hiccup's face relaxed. "See you… all… in the… morning… I guess."

Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll see you in the morning too, Hiccup. Now hush and try to go to sleep. You'll need all the strength you can get to recover." She allowed a small grin to appear on her face. "Just don't ever get sick like that again, okay? You really had me worried."

"Okay…"

Then Hiccup's eyes shot open.

"Wait," he said slowly. "If Eel Pox is contagious, and you guys have been hanging around me the whole time, then… then… you all are at risk of catching it!"

"Huh. Now that you mention it, I _do_ feel kind of hot," Snotlout admitted, fanning himself. "Gods, my stomach hurts a little bit too…"

"Oh, no," Fishlegs groaned. "Not again…"

Astrid nodded, heaving a sigh. "Yes, Fishlegs. So... you guys will be off to bring back more of the cure for all of us?"

Heather smacked her forehead. "Oh gods."

"Well, I'll see you two in a few days, I suppose," Astrid chirped, putting her arms around Fishlegs and Heather's shoulders, directing them to the bottom floor. "You better hurry, or else it's going to be a madhouse here when you get back."

"But we just… Hiccup's cured, and…" Fishlegs whimpered. "Ugh, why does it have to be us?"

Astrid shrugged. "Because it is. Now... goodbye!" She laughed, pointing to the door. "Hurry up and get that cure!"

And groaning, Heather and Fishlegs had no choice but to oblige.

Astrid smiled, flexing her fingers. Good. She had avoided another Eel Pox disaster.

She paused.

Right?

* * *

 **Uh oh! Dragon's Edge will really get crazy if everyone else catches Eel Pox! Looks like the still-recovering Hiccup will be forced to take care of them all if they do. POOR HICCUP. :/ (not XD)**

 **Gosh, this is the longest one-shot in here! I honestly didn't know it was going to get this long… but I hope you liked it, anyways. It's my treat for not updating for awhile! And I had a strange amount of fun writing those humorous parts, so I hoped you enjoyed them! :D** **Anyways, please review! I love seeing what you all think. :)**

 **Well, until next Hiccup!whump one-shot! Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	13. Forget Me Not

**Forget Me Not:** After accidentally crash landing on Toothless, Hiccup hits his head and doesn't remember anything from before he shot Toothless down that one night. So when Astrid shows close affections for Hiccup in his amnesia state, how will he take it? And since Toothless has gone missing in the woods, who will get him home safely now? Set before Blindsided. Requested by CartoonPonyDrawing

* * *

 **Heeeelllllooooooooooo! Anybody home? *taps screen* All right, there we go! *clears throat***

 **Yes, here's another one shot for you wonderful people, requested by the AMAZING CartoonPonyDrawing! *streamers explode* *marching band comes* THANK YOU, CPD! I LOVE YOU! *gives you a big hug***

 **So, enjoy the Hiccup!whump! See ya after the chapter!**

* * *

"Hiccup Haddock!" Astrid shouted, gripping Stormfly's saddle tighter in front of her. "If you don't come over to me _right now,_ I swear I will-"

"Astrid, I'll be fine!" Hiccup laughed as he flew Toothless above the open patch of trees he aimed to do acrobats over. "It's just some harmless flying! Nothing could happen to us from something as simple as that… right, bud?"

Toothless snorted in reply, flapping his wings even harder.

Astrid glared at Hiccup with both concern and annoyance, still forcing Stormfly to remain airborne. "Hiccup, there's a storm coming! We need to get back to base before you do something stupid and get yourself killed."

Hiccup sighed, casting a glance up at the darkened sky. Yes, indeed there was a storm coming. And by the looks of it, it wasn't going to be a good one. As if one cue, thunder rumbled, and he spotted a flash of lightning strike in the distance. It was dangerous to be out doing this, but... "Just a little longer," he pushed, looking over at Astrid again. "I want to go over this one more time."

Glowering, the girl began to fly over to him. " _Hiccup-"_

"All right, bye!"

With that, Hiccup took off on Toothless, whooping as the two whipped through the wind. Electricity was clear in the air, the wind whipped wildly in his face, and he truly felt… free. "Come on, bud! Faster!" he urged, leaning forward on Toothless.

The Night Fury rumbled, and obliged.

"A little further now… a little further…" Hiccup whispered, preparing in his find of how the future act would go. "Okay, Toothless…. and... now!"

Toothless abruptly shot up in the air, his wings pushing with all their might to fly upwards. Hiccup yelled, closing his eyes as they got closer to the clouds. "That's it, bud! We're doing it!" he cheered, smiling. "Next, we're doing the dive. Are you ready?"

Toothless huffed.

"I'll take that as a yes," Hiccup grinned, opening his eyes. "All right. We can do this." He sucked in a breath, ready for the uneasy feeling that would soon come in his stomach when they would be falling. "One… two… and... _three!"_

Toothless's wings suddenly stopped pushing, and the rider and dragon seemed to be suspended in midair for a few seconds, like pieces of a chandelier dangling down from the sky. And then, gravity grabbed them, pulling them back down to earth. Hiccup heard Astrid's nervous shout of, " _Hiccup!"_ from nearby, but he ignored it. If Toothless and he could finally master this, then fighting Viggo's Dragon Hunters ships would be all the easier, as he could take the Hunters by surprise.

"Okay, Toothless," Hiccup called, fighting to be heard over the battering wind as they fell. "You're going to pull up in-"

All of the sudden, such a great crack of thunder rippled through the sky, shaking the very air itself. The next few moments were full of dread, and Hiccup soon realized what was wrong. There was a storm right over them.

A lightning storm.

Toothless's tail fin was metal.

And so was his leg.

"Bud! Land in the trees, _now!_ " Hiccup yelled, already knowing what would happen if they were struck by lightning. It had happened before when Toothless was going to be banished from Berk a few years back, and it hadn't ended pretty.

Toothless snorted in alarm, and was starting to flap his wings again when a blinding light filled the sky. There was a crash, a humongous jolt of electricity headed towards them, and then the impact of an intangible, unseen force.

Next, they were falling, like a broken arrow falling through the sky.

Hiccup was vaguely aware of Astrid's screaming as Toothless and him hit the trees.

Pain filled his head as he collided with the ground, and everything went black.

* * *

A muffled sound rang urgently in his ears, but he didn't have any idea of what it was. After a moment of listening, though, the sound started to form into… a person speaking?

"H-cup!" the voice said, distinctly feminine. There was something shaking his shoulders. "P-ease w-ke up!... oh g-ds, your h-d…"

He cringed as a searing pain went up the side of his head. What… what had happened? The last thing he remembered was standing in the forge with Gobber. "Stay here," the old blacksmith had told him. "Don't go anywhere. Stay. There."

What had happened after that? What… suddenly, the obvious answer came to him. He must have ran out of the forge right after Gobber had gone, and then gotten knocked unconscious during the raid by a dragon. It all made sense now.

"H-cup? You a-ke?" the girl's voice asked. "Your ey-ids are fli-ring…"

Were they? Hiccup couldn't tell. In fact, he could barely feel his face at all. It just felt numb- except the side of his head, which ached terribly.

"Come on," the girl's voice pleaded, more desperate than before. Her words were getting clearer, and Hiccup felt his senses returning one by one. "Don't leave me like this… _Hiccup!"_

Hiccup decided that he'd open his eyes now, even though it was probably all for naught. After all, who really _cared_ about him on Berk? His father certainly didn't, the other viking teens despised him, and the village, frankly, would be quite happy if he was gone.

But nevertheless, he opened his eyes, and was greeted with a blurry face looking down at him.

"Hiccup!" the person above him cried, and next he felt that he was tackled in a hug. "Oh gods, I was so worried…"

"Mmph," Hiccup replied, too crushed from the tight grip to form words.

The girl pulled away, her face still slightly fuzzy. She sucked in a breath, leaning back on her heels as she dragged Hiccup into a sitting position. "How do you feel? When you crashed on Toothless, I-I was so scared. And then when I found you, the side of your head was bleeding, and-"

"Toothless?" Hiccup mumbled, wincing. "Who's… who's Toothless?"

And right then, his vision cleared.

He saw who the girl sitting in front of him was.

 _Astrid Hofferson. The coolest girl_ ever _to live on Berk._

He almost collapsed backwards, but Astrid was quick to grab his arm and steady him. "How much does your head hurt, Hiccup?" she asked, concerned. "Your gash is still bleeding a lot… we need something to bandage it."

Hiccup paused, still studying her face. She looked older since he had last seen her… and so much more beautiful. For a moment, he was struck dumb, but quickly regained his speech. "Who's Toothless?" he repeated, more firm with his words than before.

Astrid gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Getting frustrated, Hiccup bit his lip. "How did I… _crash_ on this Toothless? I was out during a dragon raid and got knocked unconscious. I didn't crash on anything."

Astrid blinked slowly, cocking her head. "Hiccup, what are you talking about?" she asked. "Toothless is your dragon. You know, the one you were out riding during a storm. Toothless's tail fin was struck by lightning, and you two fell. Oh, Thor… you must have hit your head harder than I thought…"

Hiccup started to edge away. "D-dragon?" he stuttered. "Vikings… riding… dragons? That's impossible!"

"Hiccup," Astrid began, practically brimming with worry. "Do you… do you not remember Toothless?" She grimaced at his blank expression. "Okay… um, tell me: where are we now?"

Hiccup shrugged, looking around. His head pounded at the movement, but he tried to ignore it as best as he could. "Uh, somewhere in the woods on Berk, I guess? I don't really remember."

Astrid's blue eyes shot wide open. "Berk? Hiccup, we're on Dragon's Edge. And you and Toothless-" She paused. "Wait… where's Toothless? When you two fell, I-I was more worried about you than him… oh gods…"

Rubbing at his head, Hiccup examined the area again. He was sitting down in the midst of a patch of trees with Astrid sitting in front of him, the sky was dark with a looming storm, looking ready to burst at any moment, and then there was-

"Dragon!" Hiccup yelped, backing up. "Deadly Nadder! I-it's right behind you, Astrid! R-run!"

Astrid, alarmed, looked at Stormfly and then at Hiccup. "What are you talking about? That's just Stormfly. Hang on, I bet I can get you on her and then we can search for Toothless then…" She winced as she glanced back at his head. "Or maybe just get you back to base and bandage you up before doing anything too drastic."

Hiccup was still spooked by Stormfly's presence, and shakily got to his feet. "Astrid," he breathed, face paling, "if we back away slowly, we could make it." His vision swam before his eyes, but he didn't let that slow him. There was a _dragon,_ for Thor's sake, _right behind Astrid._ He had to save her.

Astrid stood up as well, confused. "Hiccup… then what…" She cleared her throat, trying to swallow down some of her panic. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Hiccup found it odd that Astrid was asking such a thing at a time like this. He stumbled backwards, but Astrid grabbed his arm so he didn't fall over. "I… I was… I was in the forge, and Gobber had just left. He told me to stay… I think I went out anyways, and got knocked unconscious during the raid."

Sucking in a breath, Astrid furrowed her brow. "Hiccup… do you remember anything about shooting down Toothless with your bola cannon? Befriending him in the woods? Teaching the other teens to ride dragons?"

Hiccup looked ready to faint. " _What_?"

Astrid gently lowered him to the ground, placing the injured boy into a sitting position. "Oh gods… your head… the crash… H-Hiccup, I think you've got amnesia."

For a second, Hiccup didn't say anything, and only stared down at his shaking hands. "That's… that's impossible," he whispered. "We _fight_ dragons. We don't- we don't make _friends_ with them." He looked over at Stormfly behind Astrid, who eyed him curiously.

Grimacing, Astrid met his gaze. "Don't worry about that yet… for now, let's just get your head bandaged up. It's bleeding… a lot."

A wave of pain suddenly crashed down on the side of Hiccup's head, and he nodded in agreement, fighting back a whimper. "Okay…"

Astrid leaned forward, worried. "Hiccup? Are you all right?"

"Just perfect…"

" _Hiccup…"_ Astrid brushed a piece of her blonde hair out of her eyes, shaking her head. "Okay. Okay… let's focus… we need to clean your head wound first, and then find something to wrap it up in. I bet we can eventually get something for that… well, come on. Let's go find a stream before it starts raining."

Hiccup felt like curling up in a ball at the thought of standing up, let alone walking. But he managed to force a tight smile and croak out, "Sounds great."

Astrid, standing up, offered him a hand, and Hiccup reluctantly accepted it. The blonde pulled him up in one tug, surprised at how light he was. "All right, are you ready?" she asked. "If it's too much for you to be walking, let me know."

Hiccup nodded quickly with a wince. "Sure."

And so the two set off, Astrid supporting Hiccup by wrapping an arm around his back. Hiccup stiffened at the touch, and his breathing grew noticeably heavier. Why was Astrid Hofferson being so nice to him? She was never this caring, or concerned, or had even paid this much attention to him before. What had changed?

"You still doing okay?" Astrid asked, worry laced in her tone.

Hiccup dipped his head. "Yeah…"

After a few more minutes of wandering, with Stormfly tromping closely behind them, it began to drizzle. Astrid cringed, and looked up at the dark sky. "We need to find shelter soon," she said, pulling Hiccup along a bit faster. "After we get the fresh water, that is."

"Yeah…" Hiccup cleared his throat, deciding to speak. "Astrid… why are you so- why do you care… what…" He stopped himself, reddening. "I just don't get why you're being so nice to me all of the sudden. After all, I'm-I'm not the most popular viking around."

 _Oh, believe me,_ Astrid wanted to say back. _With all of these bounties on you, Dragon Hunters wanting to kill you, and villains wanting to kidnap you, I'd think otherwise._ But she only shrugged in response, not wanting to confuse him any more than he had to be. He already had amnesia- for how long, she didn't know yet-, so it was best to keep things simple.

"You're hurt," she quipped, stepping over a broken branch. "And I'm just helping you."

Hiccup cocked his aching head. "I guess that makes sense."

"Yeah, yeah… oh, here's the stream. Good." Astrid stopped walking, and excitedly pointing to a small stream flowing a few yards away. "I'll help clean out your head wound, bandage it with whatever supplies I can get my hands on, and then I'll fly you back to base. As for Toothless…" She winced. "We'll have to look for him later."

Hiccup didn't even look bothered by the fact that his own dragon, his closest friend in the world, was missing, which pained Astrid all the more. "Uh, sure," he agreed. "Whatever you think is best."

Astrid sighed, pulling Hiccup closer to the stream. "Okay, okay, come here. And… you probably need to sit down. You're paler than usual."

Hiccup shrugged, but was truthfully feeling sick. His injured head made everything seem blurred around him, and once again he felt like he was going to pass out. "Yeah… I-I-I guess I could use a break…"

"All right. Just a little further, and… we're here."

Astrid stopped them both right at the stream's edge, where the water was being stabbed by the falling rain. She forced Hiccup to sit down, and then tore off a strip of her skirt, low enough to be acceptable. After dunking the cloth in the stream's water, she turned back to Hiccup to press it to his bleeding head.

But Hiccup wasn't looking at her. He was looking down at the water.

At his reflection.

At his _older self's_ reflection.

Hiccup yelped, eyes widening. "I… I look like that?" he whispered. "But, I can't be like… _that._ I was me. I was different. I was… _not this_." He was panting by now, which made his head ache even worse.

Astrid realized what was going on, and tried to comfort him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay… it's okay… it's just your imagination, all right? We're… we're on Berk. You were in a dragon raid and hit your head. You're probably seeing things that don't make sense."

It was hard to lie, but it was better than Hiccup panicking.

Slowly, the boy's breaths became more even, and he nodded. "I guess you're right," he murmured, looking back up at her. "You do look kind of different too…" He swallowed, looking down at the grass. "Astrid, my head… it…"

Astrid nodded sadly, knowing what he was trying to say. "Just let me put this cloth on your head, and then you'll feel much better soon." With a gentle smile, she pressed the cloth to the bleeding part of his head, where it began to soak through with red moments later.

Not wanting to stare at her friend's blood, Astrid averted her gaze, looking down at Hiccup instead. "So, uh, do you remember anything else from the… _dragon raid_ you were knocked unconscious in?"

Hiccup gave a tiny shrug, pain obvious in his expression. "Not really."

Sighing, Astrid dabbed at his wound again. "That's okay… you'll remember soon, I think. We just have to get you back to base."

There was a pause, before Hiccup spoke again. "Astrid…" He yawned, his eyelids flickering. "I'm pretty tired…"

"No, no, you can't sleep yet, Hiccup," Astrid urged, and shook him with her free hand. "It's bad for you, and could cause brain damage… Hiccup, don't you dare do this to me. You have to stay awake..."

Hiccup pursed his lips, still drowsy. "I wish I didn't have to."

"I know, I know… all right... now I think I've soaked up most of the blood, but there's probably going to be more soon." Astrid drew the wet cloth away from Hiccup's head, and dropped it to the ground. "Now, we need bandages, or another sort of cloth."

Hiccup looked thoughtful. "Well… we could-"

All of the sudden, he was interrupted by the shout of someone. Astrid looked upwards, where the source of the sound had come from, and nearly cried out in relief.

The Riders flew above them, concern etched on their faces. But something stuck out more than the others, and made her lips turn up. Because right there, _Toothless_ was being flown by Fishlegs, while Meatlug buzzed happily beside them.

"What's wrong?" Snotlout called down, Hookfang's glowing scales illuminating him in the gloomy weather. "Toothless came and got us a few minutes ago, acting really weird. He led us over here to you guys."

Astrid grinned as she stood up from her crouch beside Hiccup, still relieved at the sight of her friends. "Hiccup and Toothless crash landed in the woods, and were separated in the fall. Hiccup hit his head pretty hard, though, and…" She paused, unsure what to say next. "He doesn't remember anything from the night before he shot down Toothless."

The Riders all reacted in surprise. "What?" Fishlegs gasped. "He has _amnesia?"_

Tuffnut smiled, turning to his sister. "Hiccup has amnesia? Woah. Think of all the pranks we could pull on him, and he wouldn't even remember how to get out of them! Which, he totally would if he had all of his memory back."

Ruffnut nodded in agreement. "The possibilities are endless!"

"Guys!" Astrid interrupted, crossing her arms. "Hiccup's injured over here. Come on, we have to get him back to the club house."

"Toothless," Hiccup suddenly said from behind her. Astrid swerved around to see the boy thinking, a hand pressed under his chin. He blinked over at her. "That's… my dragon, right?" He pointed up at the approaching riders, where his dragon looked at him eagerly.

Astrid was unable to fight off another grin. "Yes. Do you… do you remember now?"

Hiccup narrowed his eyes. "It's all kind of fuzzy… but I-I remember meeting a Night Fury in the woods… I wanted to kill it, but… I didn't."

"You know what?" Astrid smirked, putting a hand on her hip. "I have a feeling it's not going to take long at all for you to regain your memories."

Hiccup smiled back at her. "I have a feeling there's going to be a lot to remember… i-if what you say is true, that is."

"Believe me on this, Hiccup," Astrid laughed, putting a hand on his armored shoulder. "It is. And…" She chuckled. "There's quite a lot of things that you might not even _want_ to remember." She looked down at his prosthetic leg, wondering just how he hadn't even seen it yet.

"Well," Hiccup said cheerfully, not noticing her gaze, "that's great. Great. But, I guess, I'm a viking. It's an occupational hazard."

Astrid shook her head, and placed a hand over his chest... right where his heart was. She smiled. "No, you're not a viking, Hiccup. Because you're _you._ That's what makes you special."

And, surprisingly, Hiccup actually agreed.

* * *

 **YAY HICCSTRID! *claps* *happy dance* Another one shot done at last! Well, THHHAAAAAANNNKKKK YYYYYYYOOOOUUUUU CartoonPonyDrawing. Such a fun idea! Love it!**

 **OH YEAH! Okay, for the rest of guys, I have an** **IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.** **IT'S IMPORTANT, OKAY?** **PLEASE READ. **

**I am going to go on** **hiatus** **until June 19th.** **You'll have to last that long without me. *pained sigh* (And** **Hiccstridlover13,** **you're up next for requests! Just wanted to let you know.)**

 **I look forward to seeing you then, guys! Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	14. A Father's Worry

**A Father's Worry:** After the episode "Midnight Scrum", Stoick is suddenly plagued by concern that Hiccup has more injuries than he's led onto. And he just might be right. Requested by Hiccstridlover13

* * *

 **Hello, my little munchkins! I'm back from hiatus! Oh, and yess, I'm so sorry for not updating yesterday… I had a really bad headache (due to sleep deprivation, heh), and inspiration for this was kind of… lost... Anyway, I appreciate you all waiting for me. :)**

 **And thank you so much Hiccstridlover13 for requesting this! I adore reading about father/son bonding so much, and even more so writing it! Funnily enough, I actually re-wrote this twice because I didn't like how it turned out first… but, I think this one is written better than the first one was.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Hiccup stumbled, nearly falling face flat in the dark of night on his doorstep's stairs. Toothless caught him gently before he could fall, but the boy still winced. "Ow…"

"Hiccup?" Stoick asked from behind him, confused. "Son, are you all right?"

"Yeah…" Hiccup clutched his stomach painfully as he entered his old house, his father quickly trailing behind him. Hiccup, all of the sudden thoughtful about his surroundings, realized hadn't been back in his home for months, it seemed. Possibly even a year had passed since he'd slept in his old bed. He cleared his throat, trying to shrug off his father's worry. "My stomach is still just a little sore from where Ryker punched me… but I'm fine now."

As he turned back to the chief, who was now closing the door, he noticed a furious expression gradually spreading across his father's countenance. "Apparently, those namby pamby Dragon Hunters still need to be put in their place," Stoick growled, slamming the door shut.

Hiccup grimaced. "Dad, I'm okay. There's nothing to worry about."

Stoick's brow furrowed in concern again, and he slowly walked further inside. "Yes, yes, I know…it's just…" He hesitated, thinking about all the ways rescuing Hiccup from the bounty hunters could have ended earlier that day. _His son could have been killed..._

"Just what?" Hiccup crossed his arms, looking up at his dad with confusion.

Stoick gave a small smile. "I'm just glad you're back now, son."

"Yeah, me too."

The chief clasped his hands together, biting hard down on his lip. "So." He paused, trying to think of a way to fill in the awkward gap between them. "I assume you're tired from today, lad?"

Hiccup laughed, nodding. "Being kidnapped four different times by bounty hunters does have that effect…"

"Appears so, then," Stoick grunted. "Whelp, we best be off to bed now. It's past dark, and you need a good rest if you want to make it back to the Edge safely tomorrow."

Hiccup smiled back. "Sure." He waved Toothless over to the stairs, and started to limp up to the second floor with Toothless leading the way. "Night, Dad. I'll see you in the morning." Soon, he disappeared at the top of the stairs, and a moment later, his door closed behind him.

Stoick sighed, running a hand down his face as he began to walk towards the stairs himself. "Night, son," he murmured, still seeing that moment when Hiccup clutched his stomach from earlier haunting his mind. He lowered his gaze. If Hiccup was injured, he would have told Stoick. He would have.

He thought for a long moment, doubt clouding his mind.

Right?

* * *

 _Ryker's sword hovered just above Hiccup's pale neck, gleaming with a dangerous thirst for blood. Stoick's eyes narrowed in fury at his son being threatened by this man. No one threatened the Haddocks. No one._

 _Toothless's chest puffed out as he prepared to fire at Ryker and save Hiccup from the Dragon Hunter's wrath, but then Ryker chuckled. He stared straight into Stoick's eyes, giving a wicked smirk. "You're too late,_ Stoick," _he taunted, getting a better grip on his sword again. "You failed your boy like you always fail him. He'd be much better off without you. That's why I'm going to put him out of his misery..."_

 _And then he drew his sword away from Hiccup…_

 _Only to plunge it down into the boy's stomach, laughing._

" _No!" the chief cried, terrified. He wanted to race forward, but his feet were frozen. His thoughts were a blur. He couldn't move in his horror. "Hiccup!"_

 _Ryker sneered, pulling his sword away again. "You could have saved him, but you were too weak. You didn't even have the strength to protect your own son, let alone prevent him from being killed. But I guess that's what you always do, isn't it?" With one last cackle, he threw the bleeding Hiccup to the ground, and sauntered away._

 _Stoick's eyes were wide with fear as he ran forward to his moaning boy. The feeling in his legs was back, making him able to move, but it was too late. He was too late. "Hiccup! No… please, son… don't leave me… please…" He arrived beside Hiccup, and kneeled down next to him. He gasped. Where Ryker's sword had plunged down in his son's stomach, there was a deep wound carved in, spilling out blood rapidly._

" _Dad…" Hiccup coughed from his place on the ground. "Hurts…"_

 _Stoick felt his eyes watering. "Hiccup… no… you have to hold on, son… please. I can't lose you too. Hiccup…_ Hiccup _!"_

 _Hiccup's eyes were closing, but he managed to croak out one more thing before his eyes closed. "You failed me, Dad. I could have lived if it wasn't for you. You failed me…" Then he went limp, his skin slowly draining away any trace of color… of life._

 _Stoick's face paled. No. This couldn't be happening. Hiccup couldn't be gone… no…_

" _Hiccup," he whispered, shaking his son. "No, please! Hiccup!"_

 _The boy didn't move._

 _Stoick panicked. No… no…_

" _Hicccccccuuuppp!"_

* * *

"No!" Stoick gasped, sitting up straight in bed. He expected to see Hiccup's limp form lying in front of him, but there was nothing there anymore. Only darkness.

And silence.

He frowned, rubbing his eyes. It had all been a dream, then. But it had seemed so real…

 _Hiccup._

His sleepy eyes widened, and he slid his legs over the side of the bed in franticness. _He had to see if Hiccup was okay. Oh, if something had happened while he was asleep…_ The chief didn't wait longer than he had to, standing up with new alertness.

He raced out of his bedroom in a blur, into the dark hallway, and pushed open Hiccup's door without even registering how fast he was moving. "Hiccup?" he whispered into the blackness. "Are you awake?"

He heard the creaking of Hiccup's bed as the boy rolled over in his sleep. Hiccup let out a groan. "What?"

Stoick paced over to the side of the bed, worried. He knew that the dream hadn't been real, but with Hiccup's stomach condition earlier, he still needed to see if his son was truly unharmed. "Does your stomach still bother you, son?" he asked hurriedly.

Hiccup sighed. "I'm... I'm fine, Dad."

The chief narrowed his eyes at the hesitance clear in Hiccup's tone, and he crossed his arms. "How bad is it?" He wanted to know. No, he _needed_ to know if something else he hadn't found out about had happened to his son, and he hadn't been informed yet.

"It's not bad. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Hiccup…"

"Fine… it is a little sore." Hiccup yawned, the tired and exasperated sound filling the room. "But did you have to wake me up in the middle of the night to know about it?"

Stoick grunted, not wanting to recounter his dream from before. "Well, you'll be going back to Dragon's Edge tomorrow," he explained, "and I want to make sure you're checked out for any injuries before you go." He looked over at Toothless in the dark, the Night Fury's body barely visible with the poor lighting. "Give us some light, Toothless," he ordered.

The dragon rumbled, opening up his mouth which glowed with a blast ready to fire. It gave enough light in the room so that Stoick could then see Hiccup sitting up in bed in front of him, the boy clearly not happy with the situation.

"Where does it hurt, lad?" the chief asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Hiccup muttered something inaudible in reply, before lifting up his shirt to reveal his battered stomach. Stoick sucked in a breath at the ugly sight. The bruising looked painful and far too deeply colored, with traces of black, purple, and blue all in the targeted spot. A rib could've even possibly been broken from the look of it.

"Oh, Hiccup…"

"It's okay, Dad," Hiccup rushed, putting his shirt back down. "It'll heal quickly. I've dealt with worse before." He gestured to his prosthetic leg, weakly smirking.

Stoick's tight expression loosened, and his arms fell to his sides. "Hiccup, that still looks serious. Maybe Gothi can check you out in the morning..."

Hiccup groaned, letting his head drop on his pillow. "Dad-"

"Is anything else hurt?" Stoick interrupted, suddenly feeling more protective than usual of his son. When Hiccup didn't answer, leaving an icy silence in the air, the chief narrowed his eyes. "Hiccup, is anything else hurt?"

Hiccup shrugged, nervous. "My right knee does a little," he admitted quietly.

Stoick frowned. "Show me."

"Dad," the boy repeated, "it's fine. I'm fine. Everything's fine!"

"Sure. You could break every bone in your body and you still would say, 'it's fine'."

Hiccup, silently knowing that arguing with his father any more than this would be to waste, complied to the order and took his leg out from below the sheets. He rolled his left pant leg up, leaving it at his thigh, and it revealed yet another nasty bruise staining the pale skin. It was already turning a concerning color of purple, nearly a fist big by now.

The chief stiffened. Why hadn't he noticed this before? If Hiccup was in pain, he should have known. He should have asked earlier. It was only his dream of Hiccup dying that had forced him to ask his son about any injuries he might have had other than a sore stomach. And now that he knew Hiccup had been suffering in silence, too ashamed to say he was hurting, not coming to Stoick for help…

"All right then," Stoick breathed, clapping his hands together. "We'll get you bandaged up now."

Hiccup sat up quickly, shaking his head. "No, you don't need to do that," he protested. "None of this is really necessary-"

Stoick held up a hand, stopping Hiccup in mid-sentence. "But it _is_ necessary for a father to take care of his son, and that's exactly what I'm doing, Hiccup."

Toothless rumbled from the other side of the room in agreement.

Hiccup sighed. "You too, bud?" he moaned.

The Night Fury's head bounced up and down in an alternate rhythm until Stoick cut him off with a laugh. "It's best not to argue with your chief and your dragon, son," he advised. "And a little bandaging will do you more good than harm, eh?"

Though exasperated, Hiccup nodded. "Fine."

Chuckling, Stoick waved his son over. "Come on, lad. Let's head downstairs and get your injuries attended to."

Hiccup, reluctantly, slid his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, legs trembling. "Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming…" He limped over to Stoick, and his father watched in concern.

"Do you need help getting down the stairs?" he offered.

Hiccup's amused expression faded, and he scowled. "No!" Toothless chortled, standing up from his black slab of rock. Hiccup gave him a pointed look. "Don't laugh, Toothless," he groaned. "You're above that."

Smirking, Stoick threw his arm over Hiccup's shoulder, nearly knocking the boy over in the process. "I don't think your dragon agrees with you, son, but I won't stop you from striking off on your own if you wish."

Hiccup nodded gratefully, and began to limp out the door, Stoick following behind him in silence. But before they got very far, Hiccup turned back around. He gave a small, weak smile at his father, cocking his head. "Thanks, Dad," he acknowledged. "You didn't have to do this, but you did."

Stoick grinned back, and ruffled Hiccup's hair, much to the boy's protest. "Anytime, lad," he said cheerfully, nodding. "You're my son. A Haddock. I'd do anything for you."

Hiccup's green eyes twinkled. "Really?"

"Really."

There was a pause. "Dad?"

"Yes, son?" Stoick came over to Hiccup, putting a comforting arm around his shoulder again.

Hiccup looked up at him, and smiled. "Maybe, you know, you could come visit us on the Edge sometime. If you wanted to, that is," he added hastily.

Even though it wasn't the most grand of offers, Stoick's expression was absolutely shining. "I'd like that son," he agreed with large smile.

He nodded.

"I'd like that very much."

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed the father/son fluff and Hiccup!whumpiness! :) Oh, and I apologize that it's shorter than the other one shots I've written recently. It's just because (unfortunately) I've been cursed with killer headaches all week, which makes it really hard to write. But at least I managed to get this much done, right? :)**

 **See you all at the next one-shot! Lots of Hiccup!whump in there to look forward to. As always, PM me or leave a review if you have a request, and I'll see what I can do.**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	15. As I Lay Dying

**As I Lay Dying:** After the riders return to Berk in celebration of Hiccup's 19th birthday, Hiccup ends up getting deathly ill on his birthday eve, with an unknown sickness and an even more unknown chance of survival. Will he survive, or will the Friend of Dragons be lost forever? For the birthday girl... katurdi!

* * *

 **Aaaaaaaaannnd I'm back! *streamers explode* You all miss me? Huh? *everyone avoids my eye* *sniffs* Okay. Yeah. I see how it is… *clears throat* Anyways, I'm here on this lovely day to bring you another long, Hiccup!whumpy one-shot! It's written as a happy birthday to my good friend, and fellow FanFiction writer,** **katurdi** **, (if you haven't read her stories, then you better get to it right after reading this because she's awesome!). SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BUDDY! *tackles you***

 **Well, without further adieu, I bring you sickcup!- one of my very personal favorites, by the way :P-, and, well, I hope you'll all like it! *waves* Also, this is set BEFORE Blindsided. I repeat- BEFORE BLINDSIDED. JUST TELLING YOU IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING. :)**

* * *

Astrid knew something was wrong with Hiccup the moment the riders landed on Berk's docks. She first noticed how tightly he gripped Toothless's saddle in his hands as he climbed off the dragon, and then the way he slightly stumbled when his feet met the ground.

"You okay over there?" she asked, sliding off of Stormfly in concern.

Hiccup gave a weak smile and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Just tired from the flight."

Astrid found herself nodding. It made sense- the flight to Berk from Dragon's Edge had taken thirty-two hours, and the riders had had next to no sleep during that time. Of course, Hiccup would be a little out of it. They all were.

"Ugh, yes! We're finally here!" Snotlout complained from up on top of Hookfang. He stretched his arms, letting at an over exaggerated yawn. "That took _forever_. And all just for Hiccup's birthday… hmmph, why couldn't all of Berk come over to the Edge instead of the other way around?"

"Because," Astrid explained impatiently, "all of Berk couldn't _fit_ on Dragon's Edge. Besides, Hiccup wanted to be with his dad on his birthday. Right, Hiccup?" She looked over at the tired teen, who let out a painful sigh.

"Yeah."

Astrid furrowed her brow, walking over to him. She touched his shoulder in support and met his eye. "Hey, is anything wrong? You were quiet most of the ride here."

Hiccup shrugged. "As I said before, I'm just tired… and anyways, we better go let Dad know we're here. Then we can get settled in, and-"

"Hiccup!" Stoick suddenly interrupted him, coming down the walkway of the docks. His eyes were shining, and his beard bounced in a cheerful rhythm aligned with his footsteps. "You're finally here!" He approached the riders and patted Hiccup on the shoulder. "Happy birthday, son."

Chuckling weakly, Hiccup looked comfortable. "It's not my birthday yet, Dad. Tomorrow is."

Stoick nodded, not even faltering. "Of course, of course…" He looked over at the other riders, cocking his head. "I suppose you're all tired from the trip, then!"

"Tired?" Tuffnut perked up, leaping off of Barf and Belch. His eyes were oddly bloodshot, and he wore a wild grin. "Nope, I'm not tired a bit chief! I'm ready to go and have some birthday fun! Whoo hoo! It _is_ my birthday, right?"

Ruffnut rolled her eyes, still staying on the dragon. "Excuse that idiot. He decided not to sleep at all on the way here-"

"So he's a bit delirious at the moment, Chief," Fishlegs cut in, squirming from Meatlug.

Stoick smiled. "I see nothing has changed. Well, except my son becoming nineteen, just about a full man!" He chuckled again and patted Hiccup on the back.

Hiccup then gasped in pain, clutching his stomach at the chief's hard touch. Everyone's heads swerved in his direction with alarm, all pairs of eyes wide. "Hiccup…?" Astrid started, coming forwards to check up on him again. "Are you all right? What's hurting you?"

Hiccup's eyes were still shut tightly, but he managed to shake his head in disagreement, arms dropping to his sides. "I'm fine," he croaked. "Just a little airsick from the ride, I guess…" Toothless rumbled from beside him, almost as if in apology.

Stoick took his arm away from Hiccup's back, greatly concerned. "Son, we might want to take you to Gothi, just in case."

That made Hiccup shoot open his eyes, and he scowled. "N-no, it's oka-" He broke down into a coughing fit, each hack sounding painful and deep as it traveled through his scratchy throat.

Stoick pounded Hiccup's upper back, murmuring, "Let it all out, lad… just let it all out…"

"Wow, cuz, that sounds pretty bad," Snotlout pointed out as he rubbed Hookfang's neck in a soothing way. "A trip to see Gothi does sound pretty good."

Hiccup stopped coughing for a moment to give the other boy a pointed look. "N-no," he wheezed. "I… I… I don't know w-what's come over me… it should g-go away soon, though, w-whatever it is… I know it…" He started to cough again, now doubled over in pain.

Astrid sent a worried look at the chief. _We need to get him seen by Gothi. Now,_ she mouthed.

Stoick nodded in a silent agreement, helping his son stand up again. "Come on, Hiccup… let's take you home to get some rest."

Hiccup blinked slowly like he didn't comprehend what was going on. "M' fine, though…"

"Oh, hush, you." Astrid hurried over to Hiccup's side, using her right arm to help him start to walk back towards his hut. "You're sick, Hiccup. The flight here is probably what did it. You were just pushing yourself too hard, and…" She trailed off, a new thought coming to mind. "Hiccup, it _did_ just come on the flight, didn't?"

The young man coughed again. "Y-yeah. 'Course…"

But his words were full of doubt, causing Astrid to sigh in disapproval. So he _had_ felt sick before they had left the Edge. Why hadn't he told anyone? It was extremely dangerous to be flying for over thirty hours while feeling ill. Who knows? He could have collapsed along on the way to Berk, and then where would he be?

"Don't worry, Hiccup," she assured him, helping him limp alongside the worried riders and Stoick. "You're going to feel better in no time. By tomorrow morning, I bet you'll be up and running around with Toothless all day."

Hiccup smiled drowsily. "Y-yeah… I bet so…"

Astrid nodded in agreement, but deep in her heart, she wondered if any of what she was saying was true. Hiccup had just gotten sick all of the sudden- out of almost _nowhere._ Whatever illness he had contracted wasn't good at all.

She just prayed to the gods that Gothi would have something to help.

* * *

Hiccup moaned from his spot on his bed, shivering all over.

Biting her lip, Astrid continued pacing the room as Gothi, Stoick, and Gobber inspected the sick teen. All of the other riders- Toothless included- had been told to wait outside, but Astrid had fought her way in Hiccup's old room. She was too worried about his sickness to listen to any of Gothi's Thor forsaken rules, and of course, everyone knew just how handy she was with the axe.

But the sudden transformation of Hiccup one minute being fine, and the next lying in bed, terribly ill, severely unnerved her.

But she shouldn't be worried, she told herself. It was just another sickness. One that everyone soon got better over a nice warm pot of soup or a day curled up in bed with their closest family and friends beside them. She paused, footsteps coming to a complete halt. Right?

"...doesn't look good," Gobber muttered, reading Gothi's runes from the floor aloud. "She says she's only seen one sickness like this before in her life, and… let's just say that it didn't end well."

Stoick's face tightened in worry. His gaze floated from his son and then back to Gothi before he had the courage to give a nod. "Tell me, then."

Astrid noticed how hesitant Gothi looked to share, but the old woman still shook her head and started to scribble in the sand again. When she was done, she gestured to Gobber to translate. The blacksmith cleared his throat nervously and began to read the words. "She says... Hiccup has come down with a rare sickness called ' _cinodia'_. It's a type of illness that starts in your chest- which explains Hiccup's coughing- and eventually goes down… until it… it…" He swallowed. "Until it reaches the heart."

Astrid couldn't hold in the gasp that came flying out. " _What?"_

Hiccup groaned, rolling over in bed. He coughed again, whimpering. "H-hurts…"

Stoick clutched his son's hands with a firm ferocity as his face turned a pale white. "You're going to be all right, Hiccup. We'll make sure of it," he whispered, words shaking slightly. _His son might be dying. Oh Thor, please, no..._ "Gothi says she had a patient before with this type of illness-"

"And it didn't end well," Gobber cut in. When Stoick glared at him, the old blacksmith shrugged. "Just sayin'…"

"Gothi, what's the cure?" Astrid demanded as she walked up to the old woman standing beside Hiccup's bed. "How can we save Hiccup?" When Gothi's face fell, and she shook her head, Astrid didn't understand. She only grew more desperate. "What's the cure, Gothi? We can't just sit here a-and let Hiccup _die!_ _What's the cure?"_

"Astrid." Gobber's voice was very soft from above her, sounding afraid to go on. "There _isn't_ a cure. It's either the sickness passes or… or…"

"Or it doesn't," Hiccup suddenly filled in, along with another cough. "But guys… I'm-I'm going to be fine. I'm sure of it." He swallowed, chest heaving. "J-just in case, though… I-I-I want to talk with the other riders."

Astrid glared, knowing what he meant. The shock of his unknown survival was slowly sinking in, and she was too afraid to accept what was happening just yet. "Hiccup, you're not saying goodbye to _anyone_! There's still a chance of you getting better, and-and we don't even know if you have this _cinodia_ sickness. It could be something else!"

Hiccup closed his eyes, stifling another bout of coughs. "I want to talk with them…" His voice was weak and almost begging. "Please."

Astrid, breaking at the sight of the boy she had long admired and loved in a state like this, finally nodded. "Okay." She sighed, walking over to the Hiccup's bedroom door. How were the others going to take this? She could almost imagine all their reactions… Snotlout would say he'd get better in no time, but secretly be worried and not want to show it. Fishlegs would probably have a panic attack, and either faint or start murmuring, "Oh my Thor," for the next hour. Ruff, she assumed, would have _some_ sense of sorrow at the possible loss of her good friend, but Tuff… she held back a smirk. With his current delirium, he'd think it was all some prank and start making those stupid jokes of his.

A sudden pang filled her heart. If Hiccup didn't make it, what would become of them all? He was the glue that had held them together all these years. The one who made sure they all followed the rules, trained them for battle, and was their closest friend and leader ever.

 _Hiccup…_

With one last sigh, she shook her head and opened the door.

* * *

Toothless rumbled sadly for the umpteenth time as Hiccup coughed again.

It was already evening out, and his condition wasn't getting any better. Not better at all. His slight fever had risen much in the few short hours in which the riders had arrived on Berk, and it was now climbing at a dangerously high rate.

Gothi didn't have any treatment that could help the suffering teen, so everyone decided to help him old-fashioned and use cold cloths to keep his fever from getting any higher.

Toothless moaned again, placing his large black head on Hiccup's shivering legs for some sort of comfort. Hiccup's eyes opened a little bit, and he managed a tired smile. "H-hey, bud. Sor-sorry about all… _this."_

The Night Fury blinked, snuggling in closer. Hiccup laughed. "Th-thanks, buddy…"

Astrid crossed her arms from beside the two, leaning against the wall. She looked over at Stoick who was hustling in the room with two buckets of cold water at his sides. "I'm back," the chief announced, allowing Fishlegs to close the door behind him. "Berk knows what's going on now, and they…" He cleared his throat. "They all send their support and wishes of Hiccup's recovery."

Once he was done speaking, Hiccup started to cough again, grimacing as his heart pounded quickly. He felt terrible. Sore, achy, feverish, it was all there. He wished for some kind of relief as the coughs worsened, but none came. The bursts just got more violent, more painful. And then, he realized, he couldn't breathe. His lungs pleaded for oxygen, yet there was nothing.

"Can't… breathe," he gasped, sitting up in bed while clawing at his throat. _He was going to die like this._ He was sure of it.

Stoick's face drained of color, and one of the buckets of water in his hand dropped to the floor in a loud crash. "No." He raced over to Hiccup's bedside, pushing Gothi out of the way. "Son!" He grabbed Hiccup, pounding on his back in an attempt to clear out whatever was stuck in his throat.

Astrid covered her mouth in horror, and from nearby, Fishlegs fainted. The twins caught him before he could hit the ground, but the larger boy's body weight eventually dragged them all down to the floor with a thud. Snotlout tried to help them up, but Astrid was too terrified at the hyperventilating Hiccup to join in.

"Breathe, Hiccup, breathe!" cried Stoick, his pounds getting harder.

"Stoick, stop. Let Gothi do it!" Gobber protested and gestured to the determined old woman beside him.

The chief, giving a panicked grunt, handed wheezing Hiccup over to Gobber who then bent down next to Gothi with Hiccup cradled in his arms. Gothi narrowed her eyes and motioned for the blacksmith to hand Hiccup to her. Gobber, with much skepticism, did so, and Gothi wasted no time in wrapping her arms around Hiccup's back and chest as the boy slowly slid to the floor.

She squeezed again and again as the boy's chokes grew louder until with one final pump, he, at last, coughed out a chunk of mucus that had been clogging his throat. Hiccup panted heavily, heart pounding as he slumped against Gothi.

 _Gods, everything hurt so much…_

There were arms pulling him up, panicked voices yelling his name. He felt himself being laid back down into his bed with care that could only come from his father, and then a buzzing sound filled his ears.

"Hurts," he choked out.

Pain filled his chest. His throat. His head, his temple, his neck. _Everything._

And with one final wheeze, the world blackened around him, leaving only an empty void of solitude behind.

* * *

"His fever's not getting any lower…"

"It should with all these wet rags we've been using!"

"Yeah… but Gothi said it-it was a deadly illness. It's supposed to be different."

"I just wish it wasn't..."

"Me either."

 _Astrid. Dad._

"Come on, cuz, wake up. It's almost your birthday, after all. We're all worried about you..."

"Ugh, I wish it was _my_ birthday."

"Oh, shut up."

"You shut up."

"No, _you_ shut up!"

 _Snotlout. Tuffnut. Ruffnut._

"Is the lad doing any better, Chief?"

"No, Gobber. He's not."

 _Why do I feel so… bad?_

"Oh, Hiccup… please wake up…"

A squeezing of his hands. Cold fingers brushed against his hot cheek. It felt good. He wanted them to stay there, but they soon moved away. He felt lonely. Cold. Then hot again. There was a sharp pain in his chest. Whispers battled to get inside his head.

"I think I saw his eyelids flutter!"

"Really, Fishlegs?"

"Yeah!"

 _A pause._

"No. That was just a shadow."

"...oh."

 _Astrid. Fishlegs._

The names were becoming more familiar now, and he swallowed, determined to say something.

"H-h…"

"He's trying to say something!"

"Hiccup! Hiccup, can you hear me? It's your father!"

He was grabbed by two large, hairy hands, and they started to shake his arms.

"H-hi…," Hiccup managed out, unable to do or say anything more.

"Hiccup, talk to us…"

"Come on, open your eyes."

 _Astrid. Dad._

 _But I can't,_ he thought anxiously, using all his strength to try to open his heavy eyelids, only to come to no avil. _I can't do it. I'm too weak. Like I always am…_ A fit of coughs burst from his throat, and he couldn't control them as they deepened.

"Oh no, Hiccup!"

"Stay with us, lad! Stay with us!"

"You can do it…"

The voices faded in and out of existence, and Hiccup coughed more. He burned all over. Everything ached.

 _I want Toothless,_ he suddenly thought, a strange yearning filling him. Toothless was the first person- well, animal for that matter- who ever understood up. If Toothless was here, everything would be all right.

"T-Toothless," he slurred and felt himself going limp again. "I want Toothless…"

Unconsciousness claimed him.

* * *

All through the rest of the night, Astrid never stopped holding Hiccup's hand. His bursts of consciousness were always short lived and unfocused, but she still wanted to be there- _right there-_ the next time he awoke.

 _If he ever woke again._

She swallowed, stroking Hiccup's sweaty brown locks that rested beside his burning skin. "Hiccup," she whispered, voice breaking. "Don't leave me like this. You can't leave me. I won't let you." And with a tear trickling down her chin, she wrapped him up in a tight hug, finding herself sobbing.

 _No! Astrid Hofferson never cried. Never. Not even in the face of death. She couldn't be sobbing. It was unorthodox._

She only sobbed harder.

* * *

When Astrid awoke the next morning, she found the room she was lying down in was silent and abandoned. She lifted her head from the floor groggily, covering her mouth as she yawned. Where was she? When had she fallen asleep? And why was she on the floor?

 _What happened?_

A rush of memories then winded her, and she abruptly got to her knees. Hiccup. The sickness. Him choking. Passing out. His fever rising. Wanting Toothless. Her crying. She blinked, slowly standing up. If Hiccup was sick, then where was everyone right now? Shouldn't they have been taking care of him?

Unless…

"No."

 _He can't be gone,_ she thought, swerving around to look at Hiccup's bed in the room. _He can't be-_

She then saw Hiccup sitting up in bed, smiling over at her.

 _..alive?_

"Hiccup?" she gasped, stumbling over her feet to reach his side of the bed. "A-a-are you okay? What happened? Did your coughing and fever go away?" Toothless rumbled tiredly from the other side of the bed, and Astrid then noticed him for the first time. She gave a nod of acknowledgment, and the dragon huffed back.

"Yeah, I-I'm okay now," Hiccup grinned. "I feel really sore though, and tired." He gestured to his chest. "It feels like a herd of dragons ran over me..."

Astrid let out a dry laugh, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Close enough." She pursed her lips, still confused. "But-but where is everyone? Why was I asleep on the ground? All I remember is taking care of you through the night as your fever got higher…"

"I guess you did a pretty good job of taking care of me, then," Hiccup chimed. "You must have worked yourself into exhaustion, I guess. I only woke up a minute before you did, so I don't really know what-"

The door suddenly slammed open, and in came Stoick, Gobber, and the rest of the teens. "Hiccup!" the chief boomed, rushing forward to embrace his startled son. "We just came back from telling the village you're all right. Your fever broke a little over an hour ago."

Hiccup grunted from his father's tight hug, but he didn't really mind. It actually felt nice. Comforting. Safe. "No wonder I feel so weird," he murmured after a moment. "I think I almost died last night."

"What was it like, H?" Tuffnut asked in excitement from the doorway while Ruff nodded eagerly beside him. "Did you see a bright light? Did you go into it? What happened after that?"

Hiccup grimaced, shrugging. "I honestly don't really remember anything about last night, Tuff. Just feeling really sick…"

Stoick released his son, pulling away with a smile. "Well, you're all better now, lad. And I, for one, couldn't be more relieved of that. I…" He paused, seeming to age ten years in just a few moments. "At some times, I didn't think you were going to make it..."

"Who, me?" Hiccup smirked and waved him off. "Nah, I always manage to get by."

Astrid crossed her arms, glaring. "Really, Hiccup? You almost die and then you _joke_ about it?"

Hiccup blinked, his green orbs gazing up at her as he tried to think of a reasonable excuse. "Milady, I-"

Astrid punched him and felt satisfied with the crack that came after. " _That's_ for almost dying on me. And joking about it as well," she huffed. Toothless chortled in agreement, lifting his scaly head from Hiccup's covers.

Hiccup yelped, rubbing his soon-to-be-bruised shoulder. "Ow!" Everyone in the room chuckled, and he rolled his eyes. "Oh, yeah, sure. Laugh at the recently _dying_ boy. That's really supportive, guys."

"Really?" Ruff asked, confused. "I thought we were just being mean."

Tuffnut cut her off and shook his head. "Shh! He's not supposed to not that…"

Hiccup sighed again. "Gee, thanks…"

Astrid, allowing a small smile to come to her lips, grabbed the boy by his shirt collar and pulled him up so that he was only inched away from her face. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips before releasing him, clearing her throat.

Hiccup looked stunned for a moment, and then he blushed, unable to hide the grin spreading across his face.

"Oooooh," Snotlout teased. "We got two lovebirds in the room. How sweet!"

Astrid sent him a death glare. "Shut up."

"Shutting up," Snotlout said weakly, backing away.

Hiccup coughed, looking up at them all after an awkward pause. "W-well… um… thanks, guys. I can't repay you all for helping me last night. I… I actually thought I was going to die until you stepped in. You helped me not give up." He looked over at Toothless, then the Riders, his father, Gobber, and finally Astrid.

He smiled.

"It just shows that you can always count on family."

"That you can," Stoick agreed, giving one last pat on Hiccup's shoulder. Then he clasped his hands together, grinning like a red-headed madman. "Now, if I remember correctly, it's somebody's birthday today. And it's our duty to celebrate him like any proper Viking village would."

"Oooh ooh!" Tuffnut cheered. "Is it my birthday? _Please_ tell me it's mine!"

Fishlegs rubbed his creased temple as if getting a headache from the other boy's ranting. "Tuff, for the last time, _it's not your birthday._ It's Hiccup's."

"And celebrate him we will," Gobber chimed in, proudly rubbing his chin. "We've been setting up decorations for the last few days, and it'd be a shame to let them go to waste. And I'm in the mood for a good party."

Hiccup shrugged in agreement, sliding his legs from out under the covers so that they now rested on the floor. "Let's go, then." He shakily stood up and sighed when he saw that he had no shoes- er, _shoe-_ on. "Who took my shoe, guys?" he demanded, exasperated with the irritable prank.

Silence.

Then a slight chewing from the other side of the room.

Everyone's heads swerved in the sound's direction, where they saw _Toothless_ munching on an oddly shaped object. The dragon stopped chomping for a moment to let out a judging snort, before resuming his meal.

"Gah- _Toothless!"_ Hiccup groaned. "Why would you… oh, gods…"

Astrid couldn't fight back the burst of giggles that came floating out of her, and she doubled over in laughter. "H-he wants you to ride him," she managed out through her burst of chuckles. "He doesn't want you w-walking, so…"

Toothless nodded eagerly, and he lept on Hiccup's bed with an over-excited grin.

"You know, sometimes I feel like the dragon is out to get me," Hiccup grumbled, limping over to Astrid.

The blonde laughed. "Well, if he is, he's doing a pretty good job of it."

Hiccup scowled. "Oh, hardy har har… happy birthday to me."

Astrid grinned, leaning in to quickly kiss him on the cheek. "Yes, Hiccup," she stated once she had pulled away. "Happy nineteenth birthday to you. Congratulations, you're alive!"

Dazedly, Hiccup cocked his head. "For some weird reason… I feel like this is going to be a good birthday. I mean, _sure,_ I almost died last night, but that was hours ago." He chuckled, looking about the people he cared for most standing around him. Satisfied, he nodded. "After all, it is another day."

Astrid leaned into him, finally at peace. "For once, Hiccup," she murmured, "I couldn't agree more."

And so the new day began, bringing much more promise than any of them could have wanted in the world.

* * *

 ***claps slowly* Yep. Kind of lousy-ish ending, I know, but I'm too tired to go back and add more too it. It's a LONG one shot (for me, anyway) after all. *coughs* Hope you all liked the sickcup! I enjoyed myself (probably a little too much) writing it, but I hope it paid off!**

 **Love you all so much, guys. Have a wonderful night (or morning, depending on where you live), and I can't wait until the next time I see you, incredible folks. *waves* Now, I'm off to work on the next story I've been neglecting. Tehehe… until next Hiccup!whump one-shot!**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	16. Accident-Prone

**Accident-Prone:** Set after RTTE S4. When Hiccup is knocked unconscious in an accident, Astrid and Stoick both decide to watch over him. But during their time together, they reencounter all the other times Hiccup has gotten hurt before, and soon realize just how accident prone he is. Requested by yesthenLucky9

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 ***cough* So. Um. I know I haven't been updating much recently, and I have TWO reasons why. WARNING: ABOUT TO GO INTO RANT TIME. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. :P So, I just started a writing camp recently, which takes up a good portion of the day, and I don't have a lot of time to write. SECOND REASON… I found out the reason behind my headaches. But, in fact, it doesn't have to do with my head at all. You see, I just have been diagnosed with mild scoliosis. For those of you who don't know what that is, let me explain: scoliosis is a curvature of the spine, where your spine is slowly turning in one direction, not being even in your body. The curvature tightens the diaphragm of the body, which ALSO makes it hard to breathe, which means my brain's not getting enough oxygen, which induces the headaches. *deep breath* So. Yeah. Now you know. *shrug***

 **OKAY RANT TIME, OVER, HERE'S THE NEXT PAINFUL ONE SHOT, REQUESTED BY THE AAMMAAZZIINNGG YESTHENLUCKY9! *claps wildly* ALL RIGHT THEN, LET'S GET TO IT! WHOOP WHOOP! (Side note: Let's say the Riders didn't save the Edge, and are now living on Berk for this one-shot. Okay? Okay! :D And P.S. I don't know a lot about head wounds, so bear with me through these medical facts which I either ignore or screw up. *shrug*)**

* * *

Stoick always cherished those first few minutes at the table alone in the mornings. The world was peaceful around him, the sun's rays were just beginning to shine, and chiefing was the last thing on his mind.

As there was a half hour or so before Hiccup usually appeared downstairs- the boy was exhausted ever since the Edge had been lost-, Stoick wasn't surprised that there was no sign of the boy as he finished his breakfast meal. He thought he would go and wake Hiccup a few minutes after, when suddenly there was a horrendous smashing sound from upstairs, and then eerily... nothing.

"What in Midgard...?" Stoick muttered, jumping to his feet. After racing up the stairs and flinging open Hiccup's bedroom door, he looked in stunned disbelief at the scene that greeted him. Hiccup was sprawled against the wooden floor, the left side of his forehead bleeding heavily with a gaping wound, and Toothless was nearly in a fit.

"Hiccup!" the chief heaved, storming over to his limp son.

The boy didn't move as Stoick took him in his arms, and his head only lolled unconsciously when he was shaken. More blood dripped out of the forehead laceration, and Stoick struggled to figure out what had happened.

"Hiccup?" he whispered, voice low and panicked. "Son, can you hear me? _Hiccup?"_

The young man finally groaned, his eyelids flickering but not opening. "D-Dad…?" he murmured, obviously in pain. "I… fell… hit head on d-desk… gods, it… it hurts…"

Stoick's gaze lifted up to examine Hiccup's bed stand, and he bit back a curse when he saw one of the sharp edges on the side smeared with blood. _Hiccup's_ blood. _His boy's blood_. A protective feeling invaded his senses, and he slowly lifted Hiccup off the floor, expression grim. "Don't worry, son. I'll get you right away to Gothi, and then-"

Hiccup let out a loud moan, nearly breaking the chief's heart at the pained sound. "Dad," Hiccup said in a hoarse voice, "hurts… when you… move… ohhhh…" He fell silent, and Stoick wasn't sure if he had fallen unconscious again or was simply too weak to go on.

Toothless was in a panicked frenzy at his rider's condition, and looked ready to tear down something at any moment. Stoick wasn't much better, either. He still didn't know if Hiccup was going to be all right, or if he had a head injury that could prove to be a serious problem. "Oh, son," he murmured, gently sliding Hiccup back down into his soft bed. "Please be alright… hold on..."

Suddenly, there was the rushed opening of the front door downstairs, and he heard the familiar voice of Astrid ring out. "Hey, Hiccup! The gang's waiting for you outside! You ready for some more training today down at the Academy?"

Relief filled Stoick. Astrid was here, and so were the rest of the teens. That meant that they could go bring Gothi to Hiccup, as the boy was clearly too unstable to move to her with his head wound. Stoick knew that such injuries were nothing to be trifled with.

"Astrid, lass," he called down, stroking Hiccup's still-bleeding forehead with a gentleness unknown to him until now. "Get up here- quick!"

After a slight, panicked pause, he heard Astrid flinging herself up the stairs in a hurry, then diving into Hiccup's room where both Stoick and Hiccup were. Her blue eyes widened in fear at the sight of her unconscious boyfriend, and she looked up at Stoick's grave expression. "What happened, Chief?" she breathed.

Toothless roared, interrupting them. After hushing the dragon, Stoick bit down on his lip and met Astrid's gaze. "No time to explain, lass. Hiccup can't be moved- his injury is too dangerous. One of you needs to fetch Gothi."

Astrid nodded wordlessly, backing up in the doorway. "I'll go and tell the others." She looked back over to Hiccup, swallowing her terror. "Hang on, dragon boy." And then she was gone.

* * *

"Can't they get Gothi any faster?"

"Chief, you need to relax. We both do. H-Hiccup will be fine… we just have to wait until the others get Gothi and bring her here."

The unnerved father stopped his pacing, looking up at Astrid who pressed a cloth to Hiccup's oozing forehead tenderly. The gash just above Hiccup's left eye was still bleeding heavily to Stoick's utmost horror, and didn't show any signs of stopping soon. At the very least, Hiccup was concussed.

Or worse.

He swallowed, just about to resume his pacing when Astrid began to speak. "This almost reminds me of the time when Hiccup was still unconscious after he was brought back to us when he defeated the Red Death," she said bitterly, dabbing the bloodied cloth at Hiccup's forehead more forcefully. "He was asleep for days… always moaning, bleeding out of cuts we hadn't known he had, and just so… silent." She shivered, the unwelcome memories shifting throughout her mind to torment her.

Stoick paused, then allowed himself a nod. In a gruff tone, he added, "I don't think Hiccup will be asleep that long again…" His words drifted off, tired and full of grief. "...hopefully." In truth, this situation was all too similar to the Red Death incident. He feared that everything would play along just the same way it had before. Hiccup would fall into a deep slumber for days… at times barely breathing… and then… then….

"Of course, he hit his head instead this time," Astrid continued. "I don't think that's ever happened before to him before- at least around us-… though quite a lot of other things have."

Despite the black mood around him, Stoick faintly smiled. "Indeed. Only shortly after that, he had to protect Toothless from Mildew- _that old bastard-,"_ he added with a hint of maliciousness in his tone, "and the poor lad ended up being struck by lightning."

Toothless moaned from the other side of the room, remembering the incident. His rider had almost died protecting him. And now here the boy lay, possibly at death's door, and he couldn't do a thing about it.

"But not before Hiccup and I got stuck in that avalanche," Astrid said in a joking tone, but to Stoick it seemed to have an entire different effect.

The chief's head swerved to her, and he gasped. "What? An avalanche? Why didn't I hear of this before?"

"It… wasn't important," Astrid offered weakly, but her cheeks had reddened. During her and Hiccup's time under the freezing snow, they had been uncomfortably close at times. For body warmth, they kept telling the other teens. But no one quite believed them.

Stoick sensed the young woman's discomfort, and didn't press the subject. He looked back over at his son, whose chest barely rose and fall with each breath he took. The chief frowned. He knew that if someone hit their head in a certain place, then some parts of the body could be completely shut off. He only hoped and prayed that that part wouldn't be his lungs, or airway, or a vital organ.

"Then Hiccup got kidnapped by Alvin, and was taken to Dragon Island, alone," Astrid sighed. "He… he gave himself up for me. I swear, it was one of the worst moments in my life, going on with his crazy plan… but, I guess it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

Stoick nodded, expressionless. "That it did."

The blonde hesitated before continuing on. "Stoick, Hiccup's going to be all right. Think of all the other times he's gotten hurt. He's ended up fine before."

Stoick looked down at the floor. "Yes… there was the one time where Hiccup set off to prove himself to me after that portrait of him as… well, a buff man, and he got stuck in that cave-in." His voice dropped noticeably, almost cracking with the fear rising up inside him for his son's well being. "He turned up fine then, though. He… he pulled through."

Astrid nodded, and lifted the bloody cloth off of Hiccup's forehead. She was about to dip it in the bucket of water next to her to wring the blood out, when Hiccup groaned from his bed. "Ast…d..." he croaked. "Dad… ohhh, my head…"

"Son." Stoick strode over to his boy's beside, fearing for the worst. "Hiccup, can you hear me? It's your father. I need you to open your eyes... Hiccup, please, son, open your eyes." When no response came from Hiccup except his pained moaning, Stoick wilted in sorrow. "Hiccup, come on. You can do it," he urged. "Just open your eyes."

"Dad…" Hiccup's voice trailed off, and the boy fell limp again, his breathing more ragged than before.

Astrid dunked the cloth quickly in the bucket of water, wetting it in rapid time. She pressed it against Hiccup's forehead a moment later, and looked back up at Stoick with concerned eyes. "Don't worry, Chief," she assured him, though her tone said differently. "He's just in and out of it. He'll wake up soon. I know he will."

"But what if he doesn't?" Stoick pressed. "What if he… he…"

"Chief, remember that time when all of Berk was sick with Eel Pox, and Hiccup had to go off alone to Eel Island to get the last ingredient for the cure?" Astrid interrupted, dabbing at Hiccup's forehead with the cloth.

"Yes, I remember," Stoick said impatiently.

"Well, Hiccup told me about something that happened while he was on Eel Island. Toothless accidentally ate half of an eel, and he went wild. He started shooting out of control, and then ran off into the woods. When Hiccup followed, Toothless was blasting everything in sight. And just when he thought it was safe, that Toothless was out of shots…" She paused, meeting the chief's eyes. "One of Toothless's plasma blasts hit Hiccup's shield, and threw him back against a tree. He was knocked out for a little awhile, but when he came to, he was fine, no permanent damage. _And_ he was able to save Toothless afterward."

Stoick's brow lifted in surprise, and he looked over at his son in wonder. "Why didn't he tell me about this?" he murmured. "He was shot by Toothless… knocked out, even…"

Toothless growled in protest. It hadn't been his fault.

"That's just the point, Chief. If Hiccup can survive a blast from a Night Fury, he can survive this." For no reason at all, Astrid, a second later, started to laugh, and Stoick turned to her with a shocked expression. His son could be dying, and she was laughing? "I'm sorry, Chief," she choked out between fits of giggles. "But Hiccup's just so… accident-prone, I guess." She burst out into laughter again, tears gathering against her blue eyes.

Stoick paused, and for a moment it seemed as if he would erupt into a fit of anger, but then he smiled. "I guess it is true, lass," he nodded. "Just a few months ago, he was taken by those Bounty Hunters, and then nearly killed by Ryker... that nasty scum..."

Astrid shivered at the memory. "Yeah. Barely after that, he almost drowned saving the Submaripper dragon. He… wasn't breathing when we pulled him out of the water." All humor faded from her countenance as the memories swarmed back into place. "I thought… I thought he was dead. I thought we were too late…"

Stoick's expression softened, and he felt yet another tie of connection between the two. They were both so alike in many ways: true warriors at heart, had leadership flowing through their veins, and would do anything to keep their friends and family safe. Secretly he hoped that Hiccup would someday propose to the lass, so he could call her his daughter-in-law and clap her on the back like true family would.

 _Hiccup's not going to be able to propose if he doesn't pull through this,_ Stoick then reminded himself, feeling the familiar wave of distress that crashed upon his shoulders. "Now, where's Gothi?" he demanded, not wanting to dwell upon Hiccup's condition any longer. "My boy is hurt, maybe dying, and-"

"Chief, we're here!"

The flapping of dragon wings was heard from outside the hunt, and one by one Stoick and Astrid heard the dragons land with a thump against the lawn. The patter of frantic feet against the wooden floor as the group raced up the stairs with Gothi didn't even make Hiccup stir.

But, to Stoick's infinite surprise, the Riders had _not_ brought Gothi along with them. Instead, it was a young woman- another healer under Gothi's training. "Gothi was helping deliver a baby up in the north side of the village," Fishlegs explained nervously, his eyes studying Hiccup with concern. "So we had to get another healer."

"Though these two _muttonheads_ almost scared her off," Snotlout muttered darkly, his head nodding over at Ruffnut and Tuffnut.

Tuffnut feigned a hurtful expression. "Who _,_ me? No, I would _never_ cause trouble."

"That's right," Ruff agreed. "We would _never_ stick a mouse down the back of someone's shirt just to see how fast they could run."

"Never," Tuffnut echoed.

"Nevermind that- help Hiccup!" pushed Astrid, having heard enough, and she practically dragged the healer over to Hiccup's beside as worry consumed her.

The healer placed herself at Hiccup's right side of the bed, and studied the heir with a large frown. She bent over steadily and inspected the gaping wound that Hiccup had received, which was stretching over his left eyebrow. "He'll need stitches to stop the bleeding from getting any worse," she said after a tentative moment. "But that will only fix the outer damage. Meanwhile, the inner is… well…" She coughed. "There's no telling what lies beneath the skin yet."

"What do you mean?" Stoick asked, too confused and worried to focus clearly. "He'll… he'll be all right, won't he?"

The healer sighed, and nodded. "He'll live, but…" She gestured to the head wound Hiccup was suffering from. "That gash above the optic nerve…"

The group held its breath, waiting for the news.

"He may be blinded, Stoick," the healer said softly, her face twisted in pain. "I'm sorry this had to happen. But there's nothing we can do for him if he is blinded. Only help him cope with it, if he can. He may regain his sight _eventually_ , perhaps in a few months to a year, but definitely not anytime soon. And it's not too likely either. Again, I'm…" She swallowed. "I'm sorry."

Stoick felt the world around him nearly shatter in disbelief at the news. No. His boy couldn't be blinded. It wasn't possible. He'd always be the lively son he knew- so full of adventure, love, and freedom. Nothing should have been able to stand in the way of that. How had one simple fall come to this?

Hiccup stirred slightly from the bed, letting out a groan. The healer sucked in a breath. "Everyone, stay calm. I think he's coming to..."

Stoick barely heard the woman as he pushed her out of the way, eyes full of panic. He knelt beside Hiccup as the boy continued to moan, his eyes clearly moving from underneath their lids. "Hiccup, open your eyes," the chief ordered. "Come on, now. We're all waiting for you."

"D-Dad?"

Hiccup's eyes finally flickered open, but the pupils did not focus on anything around him.

Stoick positioned himself so that he was looking straight at his son, and breathed out. "Yes, that's right, lad. I'm here." He patted Hiccup's limp hand, giving a sad smile. "Can you see me, son?"

Hiccup almost didn't seem to hear him, and only blinked slowly. "Dad?" He sounded confused.

"Hiccup, listen to me- if you can see me, blink your eyes."

Hiccup stared straight back at Stoick, no recognition in his pained gaze. "Dad..?" His voice was weak, and cracking as well. It hurt Stoick's heart to hear his boy in a state like this.

"Son, if you can see me," the chief repeated gently, his words slow, "blink your eyes two times."

The young man in the bed hesitated, and his lips formed a silent, _Dad,_ before he resumed his sleepy expression. Stoick felt his heart clench in fear, and judged by the other Riders' slightly muted gasps, he knew they were just as horrified.

Then Hiccup lowered his eyelids once, and opened them back up again to reveal two shiny green spheres looking over at them. The air held its breath as Hiccup weakly closed his eyes again, and then repeated the opening process.

"Dad," he whispered, his hand shakily making its way up to his father's face.

Stoick gripped his son's hand as it met his cheek, and leaned into it, flooded with relief beyond words. "You're going to be all right, son," he choked out, but it was more to himself than to anyone else. "I promise."

Hiccup cocked his head. "Dad…?"

"I'll have to put him to sleep, now," the healer rushed, pulling out a jar of sleeping powder from her leather medical bag. "At least while I stitch his wound up. After that, well…" She smiled, nodding at everyone. "I think he'll be all right, although pretty much out of it for the next few days. But he'll come back to his old self soon. Lots of bed rest afterward, though. I don't want him leaving this bedroom for at least a week, and he won't be able to fly for three after."

Even in his pained state, Hiccup murmured, "Not… fair… m'fine… I am..."

Everyone laughed, including Stoick. Hiccup seemed more confused than before. "Why… you all… laughing?" he croaked out, cringing at the pounding pain in his head. "I really… am fine…" His eyelids flickered drowsily, and he found himself unable to keep them all the way open. "Just… want to… fly Toothless…"

"You get some sleep now, son," Stoick ordered, patting Hiccup's slightly twitching hand with a gentle authority. "I want you nice and rested up so you'll be able to heal faster."

Hiccup's eyes gleamed. "If I rest… can I go flying in two weeks instead of three, Dad?"

The chief chuckled, smiling. "We'll see, son. We'll see."

"We'll have to keep an extra eye on you, though," Astrid quipped, putting a hand on her hip. "Seeing you as accident-prone as you are."

Hiccup grinned. "But you still know you love me, milady."

"True."

He yawned, too tired of battling against unconsciousness any longer. "You'll all… stay with me… till I fall asleep?" he murmured drowsily.

Stoick was surprised with Hiccup's sudden openness, but reminded himself that it was because of the head wound. Still, though, he was touched with his son's words, and nodded. "Yes, lad, We'll stay right here with you."

And as Hiccup drifted off into a bliss, long, healing sleep, he knew that his father and friends would be there for him when he woke up in the morning.

* * *

 **Hmm hmm, serious feelsies in here. Should have warned you, but I wanted it to be a (hopefully welcome) surprise, mwahahaha.**

 **Okay, so, I'm too tired to go on a rant of how much I love Hiccup!whump, or how much I adore giving him head injuries (I think this is like the 9th time I've given him one- I stopped counting a while ago-), so, I shall bid farewell (with a HUUUUGGGGEEE thanks to yesthenLucky9 for requesting this, because I loved it), and I hope you all enjoyed it. :)**

 **And if you could leave a review, that would be wonderful. I've been feeling kind of down lately, what with my camp going seriously downhill (I was singled out for being the only Republican in the writing class. Yipee), and it would mean the world to know what you guys think of this one-shot. :) So please, feel free to click that text box below, and even just put in a, "asdfghjkl," before sending off the review. I'd be plenty happy . :D**

 **Well, have a wonderful, whumpy day!**

 **Your good friend and fellow whump lover,**

 **-Purple. :D**


	17. Unfortunate

**Unfortunate-** Another one of Hiccup's injuries brings the Riders to realize a few things. Requested by... thepurplewriter333! (Okay, I had to write this, mwhahahaha)

* * *

 **OKAY GUYS, BEFORE YOU READ THIS, KNOW ONE THING: THIS IS KIND OF A JOKE. DON'T WORRY, IT WILL ALL MAKE SENSE AS YOU READ ALONG. OKAY? OKAY! JUST DONT JUDGE. ;D**

 **Anywho, thank you for your awesome reviews last chapter! They really made my day! :) And a few of you were confused of whether Hiccup was blind or not last time, so I'll explain what happened: Stoick told Hiccup to blink twice if Hiccup saw him. (If he wasn't blind, that is.) After a moment of hesitation, Hiccup DID BLINK, therefore it tells you that he's not blind. :)**

 **Okay, enough of my ranting, let's get to this crazy chapter! XD (P.S. It** **'s kind of like my other single one-shot I wrote a few days back, _Revelation._ So if you like this one, I'd recommend that other separate one-shot to read next. :)**

* * *

It was another peaceful day on the Edge, or so Hiccup had assumed before he went to work in the makeshift-forge he had placed in the clubhouse. He had wanted to focus more on his fire sword, Inferno, as well as cleverly never giving away to his viewers (or to any logical scientists watching, for that matter) the secret of how this brilliant invention worked.

As he pounded away merrily at his sword, all the while looking completely and totally handsome as he did every time he was working, suddenly Inferno slipped off the edge of the table, slicing down his right leg before clanking to the floor.

Hiccup yelped at the pain that then came to him. Collapsing in a crumpled heap on the ground, his head hit the floor with a sounding thump, and made his vision swim. He only had enough time left to arrange his beautiful locks of hair to tousled perfection, and then utter a faint cry of "Astrid!" before succumbing to the pain.

* * *

Astrid couldn't work out why Hiccup wished to work on his sword so much, and was just strolling by the front door of the clubhouse to ask him, when a cry of "Astrid!" rang through the air. The other Riders just so happened to conveniently appear right at that moment on their dragons, and they all raced inside to see Hiccup limply lying on the floor. His forehead was already beaded with small drops of sweat, but it turned out that it only added to his overall gorgeousness.

Snotlout quickly raced over and scooped up the unconscious Hiccup in his arms, carrying the body over to the rest of the worried Riders. "Good thing Hiccup's so portable, what with all the unfortunate accidents he has," he noted loudly, and the others found themselves nodding.

"Let's get him back to his hut. Fishlegs, you and the twins go back and get Gothi from Berk," Astrid ordered, her piercing blue eyes frantically drifting back from Hiccup to the other Riders.

Fishlegs murmured an agreement, and herded the twins back over to their dragon.

"Is this the time when we don't care to acknowledge the fact that Berk is over thirty hours away from here, though we will still get back here way before our actual due date would really be?" Tuffnut asked, cocking his head.

"Yep," Astrid replied. "Now go and get the healer!"

With a big grin, Fishlegs, Tuffnut, and Ruffnut took off into the air. They all loved going to get Gothi. It was their one job around here- they were barely required to do anything else during these unfortunate whumps of Hiccup's. But Fishlegs frowned a second later, remembering an incident from a few months back. He did recall one time when Astrid had told him to 'get the car and get the healer.' He hadn't understood the first part at all, but Astrid had been under a lot of stress, what with Hiccup nearly drowning that day in the midst of saving a dragon.

As soon as the twins and Fishlegs left, Astrid turned to Snotlout and the unconscious Hiccup. "Let's hope Hiccup's hut is in the same place as it was last night," she said with a sorrowful look at her boyfriend who dangled limply in his cousin's arms. "I'm so tired of it moving back to those unknown places that are never completely shown on screen."

It was unfortunately true that nearly every night on the Edge, all the Riders' huts changed positions, as well as the table in the clubhouse did too. One day Astrid would wake up with her hut overlooking the calm and wide ocean, the next it was right across from Hiccup's hut, with her furniture all rearranged into different places than from the night before.

After a couple minutes of searching for Hiccup's quarters, Snotlout let out a cry of frustration. "I don't believe it! His hut has moved again!"

"Wait, there it is," Astrid pointed out, gesturing to the other end of the base. "Good thing it hasn't moved all the way to the cliffs again."

"Yeah. And it's not like last time either, when his hut just completely vanished for several days on end, because he wasn't using it on screen."

At last, the two arrived at their leader's hut, and tenderly lifted him up to his loft where he then rested unconscious in bed. "I wonder when he'll wake up," Astrid mused, leaning against the creaky wall. "I guess in the meantime we'll have to take turns wiping his fevered brow."

The thought of doing this made Snotlout yawn hugely. He always fell asleep when it was his turn to watch over Hiccup.

A few hours later, however, after several turns of wiping Hiccup's hot brow, Fishlegs and the twins arrived with Stoick, Gobber, and Gothi, who rushed inside Hiccup's hut quickly. "We ignored the fact that Berk is many many many hours away, just to get here faster for the sake of the show!" Fishlegs offered, appearing at the top of the loft.

"Great work, Fishlegs," Astrid smiled.

The twins followed after him, along with Stoick, Gobber, and Gothi who stared at Hiccup with concern. Meanwhile, Hiccup was making piteous moans, indicating that he was in dreadful pain and suffering tremendously, but was being incredibly brave and manly at the same time.

"Hiccup!" Stoick cried at the sight of his unconscious son. It was his favourite line, because it was so easy to remember. It fitted all occasions from terror (where Hiccup looked as though he would be killed) to delight. (Hiccup had finally come to visit Berk, as he did just once a season!)

At Stoick's loud voice, Hiccup jolted awake with a start. His father's tones weren't exactly meant for a sickroom, and were enough to wake any unconscious person up. "Dad?" he whispered, lifting his head from his pillow ever so slightly. His tousled hair was still placed into pristine perfection, making him look even more handsome than before. He raised his voice slightly louder for more effect. "Dad!"

"I thought you were just knocked out?" Astrid said in a confused tone.

Hiccup smiled bravely, already back to complete consciousness by now. "It's just a Haddock Head Wound: a hard blow to the head which knocks you out a treat, but has absolutely no other side effects whatsoever!"

Stoick took up the story happily. "In many ways it's really rather similar to the classic "bloodless battle wound", which Hiccup models so well in numerous episodes and fanfictions. You know there's been a major injury, but there's remarkably little to no blood at all! Look at _Midnight Scrum_ , for instance. No bruises or cuts despite the rough treatment he was under for over a day, and even that entire incident had been forgotten by the following episode!"

Sure enough, when the Riders examined Hiccup's cut leg carefully, they could see that there was very little blood indeed. Hiccup closed his eyes and winced in a brave way, then tossed his head fitfully on the pillow and moved his legs in an agitated fashion.

"He suffers so well!" Snotlout said in a hushed undertone, as Gothi came in bearing a bowl of steaming water and a pile of cloths.

"Oooh! Is it time to gently wipe Hiccup's fevered brow yet?" Ruffnut inquired, standing up from her seat with excitement.

Stoick, suddenly feeling left out of the normal caring-for-Hiccup-after-a-whump treatment, shook his head and grabbed the bowl from a surprised Gothi. "It's _my_ turn to wipe his brow this time," he insisted loudly, eyeing the other Riders. "Like I always do."

"Sorry, but we already wiped his fevered brow, Chief," Snotlout cut in smugly. "Hiccup's fine now."

The announcement aroused a chorus of angry cries from everyone else, but Gothi held up an irritated hand, silencing them all. Truth be told, she was none too pleased at being summoned by the Riders yet again. She spent so much time attending to all their various mishaps that the rest of her medical practice had practically dwindled away to nothing, and her waiting room was nearly always empty. Well, all except when Hiccup came on screen, in which several actors were hired to feign different injuries to give the show a more realistic effect.

Then there was that time in _Eye of the Beholder_ when Gothi had a change with more than usual patients streaming in for her medical care, but then the Riders had interfered and insisted on making her take them to Glacier Island instead, leaving Gobber the job of taking care of her patients. She still hadn't forgiven them for that, as business had never been the same afterward.

Gothi examined the suffering Hiccup casually, and then dissolved a pain powder in a glass of water, and watched Hiccup drink it down. This was one of her pleasures of being the only healer around on the show. She didn't bother with more advanced medicines for the Riders. Well, it was expensive, and besides, it was so much more enjoyable watching all the faces Hiccup made when swallowing it.

She scribbled something down on the floor (which had already been covered with sand, despite having never been mentioned or talked about it being placed down before), and stepped back as Gobber read it aloud.

"He'll be fine, Stoick," Gobber read, in the immortal line Gothi told him to say so often in other fanfics and episodes. "Give him some more medicine, and he'll be up and cured in no time."

"You know, you really should sell that medicine to the public, Gothi," Astrid chided. "No matter what kind of illness or injury Hiccup has, it's always the cure! I bet you could make lots of money off of it."

Gothi considered this thoughtfully, and slowly smiled. Yes, maybe that could work… She nodded, and then scratched something more down upon the floor.

Gobber cleared his throat, and then read the words. "She says we'll need to get some liquids and food into him so he'll heal properly. He'll be weak from blood loss for some time-"

"-though there was extremely little blood, because it's a kid's show," Ruffnut interjected.

"-but will be perfectly fine in no time," Gobber finished up, once again mentioning the "he'll be fine!" line.

Hiccup frowned, troubled with the news. "But... we never eat at the Edge," he protested. "Well, unless Heather is around to cook for us. We've actually eaten less than five times on the show in the past few years. Such as in the episodes _To Heather or Not to Heather,_ and _Saving Shattermaster._ But I didn't even eat in that last episode- it was just Snotlout and the twins!"

"It's true," Astrid sighed. "And we haven't drank anything for awhile now, either."

"I think I drank a little bit in _Saving Shattermaster,"_ Snotlout offered. "But that was just when the twins squirted some water into my mouth before I had to bravely protect Mala from that arrow." He silently cursed. "Throk _so_ missed his target on purpose…"

Stoick's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Well, then. It seems we'll have to feed you something good… how about broth?"

Hiccup fell back into his perfectly fluffed pillows, making a face of repulsement. From beside him, Astrid wondered how one could still look so stunningly beautiful when looking so disgusted. "Dad, I always have to have broth after a whump in fanfics!" the young heir complained loudly. "Or soup, though it always does me no good."

"Yeah, why can't we have a nice steak for once?" Snotlout chimed in. "What's preventing us from having the good stuff?"

Tuffnut grinned. "Yeah! Or chicken!" When everyone turned to stare at him with evident surprise, he refused to betray any signs of shame. "Yeah, like you weren't thinking it too!"

"How about some bread and water?" Stoick was getting a tad desperate, already annoyed with the Riders' growing complaints. "It's simple, straight to the point, _and_ filling. Hmm? How about it then?"

Fishlegs' face fell. He had been hoping for something a little more meaty.

"Ugh, fine," Tuffnut said. "But I want it to be _diet_ water!"

"Okay, that'll do," Gobber interrupted, laughing nervously. "Hiccup will be fine. He's always fine, after all! No whump is too whumpy for him."

Gothi nodded in agreement, already packing up her things.

Stoick looked down at Hiccup, who was looking much better despite the extremely little treatment Gothi had offered, and he held one of his son's attractive hands tenderly. "You'll be all right now, Hiccup!" he grinned, and wondered if his boy ever went for a manicure to get his hands to look so flawless. He reached over to stroke the wonderful locks of Hiccup's hair lovingly, unable to help himself.

Astrid sighed once more. "A Hiccup/Stoick moment," she said, with a little catch in her tone. "And after a beautiful whump!"

Snotlout couldn't find his voice, which was a very unusual occurrence. He simply drank his fill of this most essential of Race to the Edge moments, still waiting for the Hiccstrid moment that would follow shortly after.

Looking over at them all, Hiccup smiled. "Thanks, guys. I do appreciate how you stick by me during my countless whumps."

"You do suffer so wonderfully," Astrid insisted. "The way you move you legs, telling us silently that you're in agony but bravely being a man about it. The moaning, and calling for your father and friends..."

"And the best bit is," Fishlegs began excitedly, "you'll be back to normal again in a day or two, ready to be whumped on next week's episode, or the next fanfic story!"

Hiccup glanced at Stoick, wide-eyed at the thought, and caught his father struggling with laughter. "Oh, Dad!" he said dramatically, and Stoick stroked his hair again.

"That's your best line, Hiccup," the chief laughed. "Say it again!"

"Oh, Daaaaaaaaaaaaaad!"

The Riders chuckled, but Hiccup could tell by a certain gleam in their eyes that they were already eagerly awaiting to see how his following whump would be next time.

And he was absolutely sure it would be just as unfortunate as always.

* * *

 **Haha, did you guys like it? Hope ya did! Let me know which part was your favorite, and if you want more of these crazy little one-shots in the future!**

 **Whelp, I'll be skedaddling along now, and if you could leave a review, that would be awesome. :D See you guys next one-shot! (Sorry for my absolute randomness, hehe.)**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	18. My Cousin's Keeper

**My Cousin's Keeper-** Snotlout and Hiccup have always been at odds. But when Snotlout accidentally shoots Hiccup in the chest with an arrow, he faces the fact that it's finally time to address their roles as cousins… whether he likes it or not. Requested by animalsarepeopletoo

* * *

 **I'm back! *waves* Yep, I've been on vacation for almost two weeks now, which explains my absence. And what d'ya know, I'm just as accident prone as Hiccup is! Won't go into details, but he and I share a similar "luring" to all kinds of injuries. I'm actually beginning to think I have a curse or something.**

 ***cue dry laughter***

 **Anywaaaaaaaaaaays, thank you so much animalsarepeopletoo for requesting this! I love cousin bonding (well, all family bonding, really) and this is just a wonderful idea that I fully enjoyed writing for you. Hope it satisfies everyone's whump needs! Hmm hmm, and I made this extra long for you guys, because I've been gone for so long… well, with no more to say, I shall bid you a farewell and hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Ugh… are we there yet?"

"Snotlout, please stop asking me that. You know it takes longer than thirty seconds to find the trails two missing dragons!"

"Well, the only reason we're stuck on this abandoned island without our dragons in the first place is because of you!"

Hiccup looked up at Snotlout with a furious gaze, but he swallowed down his bubbling anger and fought for control over the altercation. "Snotlout, I told you that there was a storm over this way, but did you listen? No! You thought getting back to the Edge quicker from meeting with Johann was more important than safety… but now Hookfang got spooked off by the lightning while Toothless crashed into the trees and was separated from us... which was not by anyone's doing, and was an amazement that neither of us was injured in the process.. so _no,_ it is not my fault!"

Snotlout opened his mouth as if he were about to retort, before he closed it and simply glared at Hiccup. He stopped walking, and crossed his arms. "I don't think we're going the right way. We should go north, not south."

"And if we were going north, you'd want us to go south." Hiccup threw up his arms in exasperation. "I'm trying my best to find out where the dragons are, and then we can get out of here, but you're not making it any easier! Can you please just trust me to get us out of this for once?"

Snotlout stomped his foot down on the ground in defiance. "Oh, so _you_ think _you_ can do everything, and I can't?"

"That's not what I said."

"But you meant it, didn't you?" Snotlout shook his head, infuriated. "Well, I'll show you, Hiccup, I'll find us a way out of here… and I don't need your help either!"

He started to stomp away into the canopy of trees, but Hiccup placed a hand on his shoulder before he could go. "Snotlout, we need to stick together," he insisted. "When that storm hits, we'll need to be together to outlast it. Don't be foolish and go off alone."

Snotlout brushed the young heir's hand off, turning away. "Forget it, Hiccup! I don't need you. I don't need anyone!" He shifted the crossbow tucked away in his right arm, thinking back to where he had just got it, from Johann. He wanted to get it as a gift to his father, as he knew Johann would have just what he needed. Hiccup had accompanied him on the way, although, worried that Dragon Hunters might sabotage Snotlout on the way and determined that he'd be there to protect his friend.

And that was the real reason they were here. That was the real cause of Snotlout stupidly trying to fly through that storm just to get back to the Edge quicker, because of the crossbow for his father.

Now it might have cost both him and Hiccup their lives.

"I'll shout if I find anything," Snotlout said gruffly, still keeping his back to his cousin. "Goodbye."

With one last huff, he stormed off, leaving a very irritated and a very concerned Hiccup behind.

* * *

Snotlout fired another arrow at the tree with his crossbow, eyes seething with anger. He had long abandoned his search for the dragons- it was useless, and the looming storm clouds above him made it difficult to look in the dim light. Hiccup probably had already stumbled upon their dragons' tracks and was doing much better than he was, so what was the use of even trying any longer? He stiffened. _Hiccup._ Who did he think he was, acting like he _better_ than him? Well, he wasn't. Snotlout was better at Hiccup at all kinds of things.

Like… like…

He drew a blank and frowned.

 _Surely there was one thing he was better at Hiccup at…?_

His eyes fell upon the crossbow positioned in his hands, and he smiled. "I'm a better shot than Hiccup any day," he muttered. "Hiccup can't shoot straight to save his life." He slipped another arrow into the cross bow's string, aiming at the tree in front of him again. He wet his lips, focusing on the target ahead.

 _Yeah. Another perfect shot and I'll show him who's not so Mr. Perfect anymore…_

The arrow was readied to fire, and-

" _Snotlout!_ Are you over here?"

Snotlout hadn't seen Hiccup step out of the cover of trees in front of him before it was too late. Startled by the sudden appearance, Snotlout accidentally released the arrow from the crossbow with a frightened jolt. Hiccup, eyes wide, struggled to avoid the blow but only managed to turn around slightly before the arrow sunk into the left side of his chest.

He yelled out in pain as he staggered backwards, spinning on his heels and falling face down into the dirt. His body automatically curled up into a ball, and his hands went rigid against the ground.

Snotlout froze, taken by surprise at the sudden change of events. As if time itself had stopped, he stared in horror at Hiccup writhing in agony just a few yards from where he himself stood, his thoughts slowly coming together again.

"Oh Thor, Hiccup...," Snotlout gasped, running over, and he dropped to his knees at his cousin's side, carefully trying to turn the anguished boy onto his back.

Hiccup cried out as Snotlout inspected the arrow wound. The world spun around him, and he could barely make out Snotlout's panicked face as the other boy spoke to him.

"Hiccup… I didn't mean to shoot you, honest," Snotlout rushed, stunned by what he had done to his own flesh and blood. "It was an accident..."

Hiccup's body attempted to roll away from the hands that were holding him. Snotlout kept a firmer grip on the boy, as well as a wary eye on the arrow that still stuck out of his chest. "Take it easy, Hiccup," he whispered. "You've been shot by an arrow, and I have to get it out…"

For a moment, Hiccup's expression glazed over with what looked to be confusion, before he set his jaw and grunted. "Fine… just get it over with…" His eyes closed.

Snotlout's eyes glistened over with emotion as he pulled his own eyelids down, unsure if he was willing to complete the task ahead. His lips trembled as if he were to let out a whimper to the gods- but he never did. His nose twitched as his mouth suddenly became agape, and he drew in a breath of air sharply.

Hiccup needed him right now. He had to be strong for both of them, or survival wasn't going to be likely.

He rubbed his hands together, circulating the flow of blood that traveled through them before clearing his throat. "Try to stay still, Hiccup," he said, although he knew that it might be impossible for his cousin to do so with all the pain he was in. "It'll be harder to pull the arrow out if you're jolting around…"

Only a moan in response.

"Okay… here I go."

Snotlout grabbed the arrow with his hands shakily, before setting a firmer grip on it. He exhaled and then began to pull. Hiccup choked out gasps of pain as the arrow exited his body, but it was obvious he was forcing himself to his limits to stay still.

At last, the arrow was yanked out by Snotlout's hand, erupting a cry of agony from Hiccup. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and his chest heaved as he struggled to catch his breath. Snotlout breathed out a sigh relief. _It was over…_

But he froze as he inspected the bloodied arrow in his hand.

"Gods darn it, the shaft broke!" he cursed, flinging the broken arrow off into the trees, not caring where it landed. He returned his attention to Hiccup, whose skin was now a sickly pale and chest was bleeding again.

"Don't worry, Hiccup…. I'll get us out of this," Snotlout promised, shifting his kneeling position on the ground to a more comfortable spot. "We'll find Hookfang and Toothless and get you back to Berk so Gothi can take care of you… okay?"

Hiccup's eyes were closed tightly, and he didn't respond.

Snotlout leaned back on his heels, staring up at the stormy sky above him as guilt coursed through his veins. If he didn't get that arrow shaft out of Hiccup's chest soon, infection would set in. Once that happened, without the proper medicine and care, Hiccup didn't stand a chance.

The honored, loved, and respected Dragon Trainer would die...

And it'd all be his fault.

* * *

Making camp was supposed to be simple. Get some pine branches, place them on the ground for Hiccup, find a sheltered spot (which was easy enough, since they were in the woods), and sit back lazily as the rain fell down around them.

Wrong.

Snotlout had completed the first of the steps correctly, but getting a fire going next was something that he could not do. The wood was either too wet or too fresh to use, and every time the smallest spark flickered within the branches, the light rain smothered it out.

Hiccup let out another moan from his makeshift bed on the ground, twitching to roll over but not having enough strength to do it. Snotlout sighed as he sat back a few feet away from him, biting the inside of his cheek.

What now? The storm didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon, and Hiccup was clearly getting worse. Already small, inflamed streaks of infection were circled around the arrow wound, reminding Snotlout of the shaft buried inside the skin. He had peeled off Hiccup's bloodied shirt long ago, stripping it into long bandages which he wrapped the boy's left side of his chest in. It was the best he could do for now. Alas, to his disappointment, it seemed to be of little help at all.

"Hey, cuz, you thirsty?" Snotlout asked, scooting a little closer to Hiccup with his canteen in hand. Thankfully, neither of the boys had lost their canteens in the crash, as they had had them strapped to their sides when they landed instead of in their dragons' packs.

Hiccup slowly turned his head in Snotlout's direction, eyes half closed. "A… little," he managed out, panting.

Snotlout didn't force his sick cousin to talk anymore, but only unscrewed the canteen's cork, lifted Hiccup's head up gently from the ground with his hand, and pressed the cap to the boy's lips. Hiccup drank slowly, but he drank his fill. He settled back down into the pine leaves with a sigh, and gave Snotlout a weak smile when he realized he was being watched.

"Hey, thanks," he murmured. "Know it's… h-hard taking care… of me…"

Snotlout gave a small shrug, although his hands were slightly shaking. "Yeah, well, don't get used to it. Once you're all better, I'll think of a whole list of things you can do for me."

"I see… your stubbornness… hasn't changed…"

"And your sarcasm never does either, so stop complaining." Snotlout popped the cork back into the canteen with a frown. "Here, let me check your bandages. I know it's going to hurt, but try to bear with me... I just need to know how bad it is."

Hiccup flinched, but he didn't move otherwise. "But… I'm fi-fine…"

"Sure, yeah, keep telling yourself that…" Snotlout set the canteen aside and knelt by Hiccup, where he began to unravel the sticky bandages with tentative fingers. Through the entire procedure, Hiccup had stiffened up and showed no signs of relaxing. Snotlout sighed but didn't say anything.

When the last of the bandages had been removed, he couldn't hold back the flash of horror that crossed his face. Hiccup's wound looked much worse than the last time he had seen it. Tendrils of pink infection had grown mightily, nearing a whole inch by now. The skin itself was hot to the touch. The bleeding had mostly stopped by then, but the laceration over top of it was oozing with a pale yellow liquid that made him feel sick to his stomach. And he could only imagine what _Hiccup_ was feeling.

"Is it bad?"

Snotlout looked up and met Hiccup's tired but strong gaze. It still amazed him daily at how calm his cousin was when he was stuck in these situations, and there was no way out to be seen. He was always smart, level-headed, and easy going, no matter what risks were ahead or what losses he faced.

Snotlout wasn't.

"It's…" He struggled for the right words to say, unable to tell his own family he didn't have a good chance of making it. "I mean…"

"It _is_ bad, isn't it?" Hiccup said softly. His eyes once again locked onto Snotlout's, and within their emerald colored depths was a world of such pain and sorrow and regret that it rattled Snotlout's bones to their very core. He bit down on his tongue to hold back the whimper that yearned to come out.

Hiccup knew he was dying. He knew he was dying and he wasn't going to scream or cry out at all the unfairness suddenly shoved at him, but only sit back in his final hours and watch as life slowly slipped away. And the worst part of all of it was that Snotlout knew that if he had not gone storming off like a child just a few hours before, none of this would have happened.

If only he had a cooler temper, like Hiccup. If only he had stayed and listened to what his cousin had had to say, this situation would never have happened in the first place. Hiccup would be safe- alive-, and maybe the two even would have found their dragons by now.

He suddenly realized that being like Hiccup wasn't always such a bad thing.

"Snotlout? You… you okay?"

Snotlout realized his eyes were gathering with hot tears of shame, and he quickly gave a loud sniff, wiping them away with the back of his hand. "Am I okay?" He laughed, although it was forced. "Hiccup, you're the one… you're the one…"

"Dying?" Hiccup was expressionless as he looked over Snotlout, head resting slightly against the tree behind him. "Snotlout… it isn't your fault and you know it. I should never just have surprised you like that."

"But… but I shot you Hiccup!" Snotlout exploded, his eyes stinging. "I should have known you were in the area and been more careful… or actually stuck to the original plan and tried to find the dragons! Now I can't even get that cursed arrow shaft out of you until I get you back to Gothi on Berk… and by then the infection will have…" He swallowed. "It will have..."

Hiccup smiled gently, his warm green eyes no longer filled with the pain he was in but with a welcoming demeanor- one at peace. "Snotlout… _you_ have to get the shaft out…" His voice dropped. "At least if I die... during the procedure… I know it'll be in the cause of trying to live. I won't go down-" He coughed slightly. "-without a fight.""

Snotlout looked shocked. "But Hiccup, what if... I kill you?"

"I already told you… it'd be during… a fight to live…"

"I can't just take that risk."

"Yes, you can!… or I swear… I'll dig that shaft… out myself…"

Snotlout paused, and cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Like you could."

"I'd… certainly try…"

"How? With your own fingernails?"

"If that's what it takes." Hiccup let out a harsh breath. "Snotlout… please… I've never… begged to you before… or anyone… but… but…"

Snotlout's eyes filled with understanding, and he nearly gaped when he realized just what Hiccup meant. The great Dragon Trainer, for once, was… afraid. He'd faced dragons the size of mountains, fought foes three times his size, outwitted the cleverest mind twisters in the archipelago without showing an ounce of fear in the slightest. Yet now, finally something had shown up that _had_ scared him...

Death.

Snotlout shivered and found himself nodding almost as if in a trance. "All right. I'll do it. I... I think I have a knife somewhere on me… it won't exactly be clean, but it's better than using my bare fingernails."

"Like I'd allow you... to use those... dirty things... anyway," Hiccup scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Well, look who's got their sarcasm back."

"Well, look who... hasn't gotten their… knife out yet..."

Snotlout scowled at the retort, although privately wasn't really bothered with Hiccup's sarcasm. It was just a relief that the boy had the strength left to make a joke. "I know, I know…" He slipped the hidden knife out from his boot, fingering it as its cool blade slithered across his palm.

"Nice knife," Hiccup said.

"Thanks. I… I got it from my dad a few years back. He told me to always keep it hidden in case there was an emergency and I needed to use it."

Hiccup's eyes were blinking rapidly, and Snotlout judged the boy was fighting hard to stay awake. He smirked. "How about you just… lay back and relax, cuz. Don't worry. You're in my hands now."

"That's what… I'm worried about…"

"Oh, haha... just close your eyes and lie down…"

Hiccup surprisingly obliged, and Snotlout swallowed, glancing down at the knife gripped in his hand. His knuckles were already white from clutching the hilt so hard. "Okay… so… this is going to hurt… a lot…," he said weakly, now drained of courage. "I'm sorry I can't give you anything for the pain. I'll do my best to go light, but-"

"No." Hiccup's eyes flickered open, and he looked up at Snotlout in a feverish determination. "Get that shaft out… don't care about the pain… but… promise me something..." His chest was heaving from the effort of speech, yet he remained just as steady and strong as before.

"Anything, cuz."

"Promise you'll find… and take care... of Toothless… f'me… if I… don't make it?"

Fear crossed Snotlout's expression, and he shook his head. "Hiccup, you're going to make it- I know it now. You always get well… this infection will clear up once the arrow shaft is removed and I get you back to Berk… and besides, why would you leave Toothless to me and not the others? Astrid is kind of your… well… girlfriend, Fishface and you are best friends, and the twins- well, I understand why you're not choosing them… but what about your father? He could take care of Toothless just fine. So… why me?"

Hiccup's eyes were full of emotion as he looked up at Snotlout. His lips were slow in forming the words, but that didn't take the passion out of them at all. "Because… we're… family," he whispered. "Cousins… forever. No matter how annoying... one of us might be..."

A slow smile creeped up the edges of Snotlout's mouth. "Yeah. Right. Cousins." He squeezed his eyes shut, trembling with the guilt and the strain of the day.

 _If only I hadn't been so careless… now Hiccup has to pay the price… oh gods above, please help me. Hiccup needs help..._

He stifled a sob.

 _Please…_

* * *

Snotlout wasn't quite sure who suffered more while he was digging for the shaft inside of Hiccup— him, or his cousin. Hiccup cried out several times during the operation, his head tossing in agony across the pine branches. But Snotlout's heart hurt in a way it never had before. Every time Hiccup moaned or yelped was like an arrow to his own chest. _He_ was the one making his cousin suffer so much. _He_ was the one causing so much pain.

The shaft still didn't show, even after a minute of digging, and that was when Hiccup finally broke. "Hurts," he whimpered, and then his body fell limp into unconsciousness.

 _Oh, Thor,_ Snotlout thought to himself. He felt terrible as his overwhelming guilt greatened. _He's passed out… all right, Jorgenson, quick. This is good. Right? He won't have to suffer through any more pain. Get the shaft out before he wakes up. Simple. Easy. No problem._

With a shaky breath, Snotlout pushed his fears aside and dug deeper into Hiccup's pale skin. After poking and prodding for half a minute more, finally the broken arrow shaft revealed itself, and he let out a shout of triumph at the sight. Finally he had found what was causing the infection- Hiccup would be safe!

He dug out the shaft quickly, as if the devil himself was on his heels, as well as checking to make sure there were no splinters of wood left inside the wound. If there were, the infection still wouldn't clear up and the whole operation would have been useless. But after a few minutes of careful examination, he dubbed Hiccup finally rid of the arrow shaft's remains.

By the time he had finished up with Hiccup and cleaned his dirtied hands off in the pouring rain outside, Hiccup was beginning to stir. "D… Dad…," he croaked out, shifting uneasily on the pine branches beneath him. "Tooth… less… Toothless…?" His voice grew steadier. "Toothless... where are… you... bud…?"

"No, it's not your dad, or Toothless," Snotlout chuckled as he sat down next to his cousin, wiping his wet hands off on his shirt. "It's your cousin. Snotlout."

Hiccup moaned softly. "Snotlout?"

"Yeah, I'm right here, cuz. Can you open your eyes for me?"

"Tired…"

"I know, but I'd really like to find out how you're feeling… come on, Hiccup… you wouldn't let me down, now would you?"

There was a pause, and Snotlout knew he had hit just the spot. Hiccup, frankly, seemed to always be eager to please everyone and would do just about anything for his friends if they asked of it. Sure enough, Hiccup managed to peel open his eyelids a moment later, the green orbs beneath them coated with infectious fever. "Mmm… m'awake now…"

Snotlout nodded, allowing a smile. "So, how're you feeling?"

Hiccup blinked. "The same…"

Snotlout's smile faded. He had hoped for some improvement by now.

"Well… can I get you anything?" he offered, the guilt of being the one behind Hiccup's misery forcing him into a such a worried position. "You thirsty? I don't have any food with me right now, but when the rain's let up I can probably go and hunt down a rabbit or something…"

Hiccup closed his eyes, his chest rising and falling as he exhaled. "No… just feel sick… want to sleep…"

"Then… then you go right ahead and sleep," Snotlout said, his words picked out carefully. He wasn't sure if getting the arrow shaft out had completely taken out the infection, and didn't want to raise his hopes too high. "I'll be right here if you need me."

Hiccup, even in his fevered state, smiled. "Thanks… cousin _…"_

And he drifted off, with that small smile still on his face.

* * *

The temptation to feel Hiccup's forehead for fever was slowly getting the best of him, and Snotlout wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out. But he knew that if he did check Hiccup's forehead, he'd take the risk of waking his cousin up, and that was something he didn't want to do.

He leaned his head back against a tree near Hiccup, silently praying to the gods for a miracle, a sign, anything to help. He'd done all he could for his friend now. He'd stopped the infection from spreading anymore, but what of the parts that remained? What kind of damage had that already inflicted? Was Hiccup even strong enough to fight back against it?

He swallowed and shut his eyes.

 _If he dies, it'll all be my fault._ _What will Stoick think of me then? Will he dub me his son's murderer? Astrid will never forgive me, that's for sure. Hiccup was a piece of her life, and having him ripped away from her soul like this will definitely cause some damage. Ruffnut and Tuffnut will hold this against me for the rest of my life. It'll never be the same around them anymore either. Fishface might forgive me someday, but I doubt it. He's always told me that my ignorance will get somebody killed._

 _Guess he never thought it'd be Hiccup._

He figured must have drifted off sometime after that because the next thing he was aware of was a faint, "Snotlout? Snotlout?" coming from beside him. He gradually opened his sleepy eyes to see Hiccup... awake… and sitting up beside him with fever flushed cheeks and a small smile. The larger boy's eyes widened in shock, and he could barely stutter out, "Hiccup? You-you shouldn't be up... you're sick!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, although he did lean his head against the tree behind him to ease Snotlout's litany of concerns. "Nah, it's fine... I feel better than the last time I woke up. A little hot… the arrow wound hurts like Helheim… but overall, I think I'm okay."

He offered a weak smile, and Snotlout returned it.

"So… you know you're okay? For sure?" He was still haunted by his previous thoughts of Hiccup dying, and wasn't going to take any chances just yet.

Hiccup looked thoughtful. "Well... I feel better... so that's a start, I guess."

"Good! I'm still taking you to Gothi, though."

"Yeah, probably a good idea…" Hiccup smirked. "Well, how about this- when we find Toothless and Hookfang... I'll go back to Berk so Gothi can check me out, and you can go back to the Edge and tell the others what happened... that way the others won't be too worried about all of this..."

"Are you kidding?" Snotlout crossed his arms with a huff. "I'm never leaving your side again after what just happened."

Hiccup cocked an eyebrow, confused of whether his cousin was being serious or not. "Really?"

"Yeah. Of course. After all, I'm your family, right? Your cousin? And cousins look out for each other."

"Hmm. Yeah. I guess they do." Hiccup chuckled at the thought of Snotlout stalking him like a mother hen, and tipped his head back and enjoying the light lull of the rain around them. The day was a new one, and his head felt much clearer than it had hours before. The stabbing pain that had once mercilessly tormented his chest before had now eased back down to a tolerable ache, while the wound itself was no longer bleeding. He was no healer, yes, but he knew that somehow... he was going to be all right.

"Hiccup! Look!"

Hiccup's eyes snapped open at Snotlout's urgent tone, and he strained his head to see what his cousin was pointing at. There were figures in the sky… of dragons. Four dragons to be exact. As they drew closer, he could make out the dragons as a Nadder, a Gronkle, a Zippleback, and a Monstrous Nightmare.

"Looks like old Hooky came through, and brought back the others after all!" Snotlout grinned, slinging an arm over Hiccup's shoulder although careful to avoid causing any pain. "I knew that dragon had a good spot in him somewhere. Who knew it'd only take crashing on a deserted island and you almost dying to show it?"

Hiccup frowned, feeling a dull sense of loneliness then fill him. He swallowed thickly. "Yeah... but what about Toothless? He's still gone… and out in that storm..."

As if on cue, the Night Fury suddenly burst out from the underbrush only yards away from them, charging straight at Hiccup with wide, excited eyes and a flapping pink tongue. Hiccup straightened, slipping away from Snotlout's grasp. "Toothless!" he yelled out in delight. "Bud, you found us!"

The dragon and master met together in a warm, powerful hug, more relieved than words that they could see each other again.

Snotlout watched from beside them, smiling with both pride and happiness that the nightmare that had just held them all in its grip was finally over.

Hiccup would live. Snotlout had saved him in the end after all.

 _Because that's what cousins are for, right?_ he asked himself.

He grinned as Hiccup looked over at him from Toothless's and his embrace, and the two young men nodded over at each other, smiling in acknowledgement.

Yes.

That was exactly what cousins were for.

* * *

 **WHUMP. 'TIS ALL THAT NEEDS TO BE SAID.**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this gift of mine to you! Thank you animalsarepeopletoo for this idea- I just… FAMILY BONDING IS SO AMAZING! Well, every kind of bonding is amazing, really, hehehehe.** **Feedback is greatly appreciated if any of you feel like submitting a review below as well, as it took quite a bit to type this 5k word monster up. :) Now, you awesome people go off and have the awesome day that you deserve.**

 **I'll be back… probably.**

 **And you'll be here… maybe. :P**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	19. It's All About Caring

**It's All About Caring-** Set in DOB. After falling off of Toothless, Hiccup breaks the only leg he's got left, and is forced to survive a few weeks in bed. Unfortunately, Toothless, Astrid and Stoick become very anxious and overprotective of Hiccup… Requested by The Wizard Rider

* * *

"Idiot," Astrid grumbled, watching as Hiccup and Toothless did a series of impressive maneuvers up in the sky. "He's going to get himself killed someday while doing that…"

"Hey! I called it first," Snotlout shot back, leaning against Hookfang's warm side for support. "He's had it coming to him for years."

The teens were gathered up on one of Berk's cliffs, watching as Hiccup and Toothless pulled off a few new air stunts they had made up recently. It was quite obvious now, although, that none of the Riders particularly wanted to be there. Astrid had her arms crossed, the twins looked more bored than usual, Fishlegs was nose-deep in a book from on top of Meatlug, and Snotlout wouldn't stop groaning every ten seconds.

As Hiccup pushed by on Toothless in front of them, Astrid let out a yawn. She couldn't help it. They had all been watching Hiccup for the past half hour, and although it may have been enjoyable for him to be aboard his dragon, it was wearing dull for everyone else.

"Hiccup, I think it's time to take a break now," she called up to him. "You've done enough for one day already, haven't you?"

Hiccup pulled Toothless to a halt in the air, making a pleading face as he looked down at her. "Aw, Astrid, come on! Just one more little stunt- please?"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. But only one more, you hear me, Hiccup Haddock?"

"Loud and clear!"

The dragon and rider soared off as one, Hiccup whooping as Toothless twisted this way and that. It made Astrid's stomach churn when she thought about what it must've felt like to be up there, twirling around and around over and over again. Hiccup had a stomach of iron, she presumed, and most likely didn't even notice anything wrong with plummeting hundreds of feet downwards through the sky.

"Agh, can we go now?" moaned Snotlout. "He's taking forever…"

Tuffnut made a face. "Yeah, why can't we just meet up later or something?"

"Hiccup wouldn't mind at all!" Ruffnut offered.

Fishlegs raised his brow, looking up from his book. "And how would you know that, Ruffnut? Have you asked Hiccup?"

"Well, I… no, but…"

"Who cares what Hiccup thinks? I'm going to leave anyways." Snotlout boarded Hookfang, grinning on his way. "See you later, losers. I'm off to go have some real fun with my awesome dragon."

"Guys, wait," Astrid said. "We promised Hiccup we'd wait one more turn, and that's what we're going to do. Got it?" She crossed her arms in finality, and no one disagreed.

Meanwhile, Hiccup was having the time of his life up in the sky. He whooped again as Toothless did another twirl, enjoying the wind on his face and the free feeling that surged around him. He laughed as Toothless flopped his tongue out, smiling up at his rider.

"Guess we better go back now, bud?" he finally asked, patting Toothless's neck. He felt guilty for making his friends wait so long while he demonstrated the new techniques he'd made, but flying with Toothless was always worth it in the end.

Toothless grunted, and Hiccup chuckled. "I'll take that as a yes, then."

As his dragon rounded back to return to the Riders, Hiccup then accidentally leaned forward in excitement of getting back, and pressed too far downwards on the tail fin's pedal. With a startled snort, Toothless lurched and then started to plummet through the air.

Hiccup fumbled to get the pedals working again, but off balance, Toothless wasn't making it any easier. They began to fall back down to earth at a rapid speed., and Hiccup held back a shout.

Normally, he didn't worry too much about him and Toothless crashing. With a controlled tail fin, he could usually prop it out in time before they hit the ground. But the unstable way they were falling turned out to be serious problem, and Hiccup suddenly found that he and Toothless were dropping towards a group of trees with no way of stopping.

"Hiccup!" Astrid yelled out from below him, urging her legs to run at faster speed towards the spot he was headed towards. The other Riders followed, even Snotlout who was as pale as a sheet, but they all knew they wouldn't be able to reach their rider before it was too late.

Helpless, they could only watch as Hiccup and Toothless gained speed and then crashed into the trees underneath them with a violent thud.

Astrid's eyes widened. _"Hiccup!"_

* * *

"How is he, Gothi?" Astrid asked, casting a glance at the limp Hiccup resting in his bed.

Gothi, raising her brow, shrugged and shook her head.

Astrid sighed, and pressed a hand to her throbbing temple. It had been nearly the same answer every time she asked the little old woman how Hiccup was- Gothi simply refused to say anything.

At first, she had explained in her pictures in the sand that Hiccup's right leg was most definitely broken. And his leg was indeed at a strange angle below the knee as Astrid looked over at it, but was intended to be set and placed in a cast once Gothi had the proper materials to do so.

The other Riders were scattered about the room, eyes downcast and heads low. They were all worried for Hiccup's well being, that much was clear. The boy had not even stirred since they had found him pinned under Toothless in the woods and dragged him out, bloodied and bruised…

Astrid swallowed, thinking back to that one terrible moment when she thought Hiccup was dead. He was so limp, so lifeless lying there on the ground, covered head to toe in dirt… face covered in blood for what now proved only to be a bloody nose… but still… it had been so frightening...

Her thoughts were interrupted as the door behind her burst open, and suddenly Stoick's loud voice rang out, "Hiccup? Where is my boy?" He must have seen his son in Gothi's medical bed, because he rushed past Astrid and to Hiccup's side a few beats later. "What's happened? I heard there was an accident..."

"He and Toothless crashed into some trees," Astrid said in a cracking voice, coming up beside the chief. "He was trapped under Toothless when we first found him, but we got him out and brought him here before long."

"How's Toothless?"

"Fine. A little dazed, but he was lucky. Much luckier than Hiccup…"

The Night Fury moaned from the other side of the room. He was curled up on the floor, eyes wide and worried, but unresponsive to anyone who tried to comfort him.

Gothi pushed her way past the worried father and girl, holding a canteen in her hand. She gestured for Stoick to hold Hiccup's head steady while she gave the boy a small drink. To everyone's combined relief, Hiccup swallowed the water as it flooded his mouth, and when Gothi splashed a little more liquid over his forehead, Hiccup groaned and moved his head slightly against the pillow it rested on.

"Hiccup?" Astrid whispered. She leaned over him, worried. "Can you hear me?"

"Astrid?" Hiccup slurred. He blinked and peered up at his friends and his father. Then a spasm of pain crossed his face and his eyes slammed shut again. "What… happened?"

"There was an accident," Astrid answered, not wanting to be too specific. "You fell."

"Pressed the… pedal too hard...," Hiccup mumbled. "Such an idiot..." He swallowed, and Gothi gave him another sip of water. "Is Toothless… all… right?"

"He's a little dazed, but he's not hurt," Astrid answered. "Now, please, Hiccup. Lie still, you're hurt."

For a moment, Hiccup didn't say anything, then he asked, "Am I… hurt bad?"

"You've broken your leg pretty badly, Hiccup. Now stay still while Gothi looks over you," she added sharply as Hiccup tried to sit up to look.

Hiccup fell back to the bed, blinking. "My leg hurts..."

Stoick patted his son's hand gently. "We know, son. And we're going to help you through it. You'll be up and running about in no time, I promise."

After a slight nod, Hiccup closed his eyes, face dropping into a relaxing tone.

"He's asleep," Astrid murmured. She turned to Gothi. "He'll be all right… won't he?"

Gothi smiled, and slowly nodded. Everyone breathed out a sigh of relief. Hiccup would be fine, and back to normal in no time. The worst was over.

But, unbeknownst to poor Hiccup... that was far from true.

* * *

"Can I get you anything, son?"

Hiccup looked up from the book he was reading in bed, staring confusedly at his father who stood before him. "Dad, you just asked me that five minutes ago. I already told you, I'm fine," he said back.

"I know," Stoick chirped, walking forward so that in a few giant steps he was at his son's side. "But I just wanted to check up on you. You're injured. Broke your right leg. Now... if you need anything, remember to just-"

"Let you know. Yes, Dad, I understand," Hiccup said, if not a bit irritably.

It had been three days since the accident. The first day, he had been too out of it to notice how strangely his father, Astrid, and even Toothless were acting around him. As the second day began, his head had finally cleared up enough to help him realize something was off. But he just brushed it off and told himself that the pain in his leg was doing funny things to his mind.

Today, though, the third day, was when he finally came to the conclusion that his friends and his family were going a little bit overboard with caring for him. If he showed even the slightest amount of pain or discomfort, one of them would rush to his side and quickly make sure he was all right.

He sighed, closing the book and letting it fall down in his lap. He wanted to get up and move around, but that was impossible. With his broken leg, he wouldn't be able to get far, and besides, Toothless was always watching him.

"Bud, I'm fine," he said aloud to his dragon when Toothless didn't blink while looking at his rider for nearly a minute.

Toothless shifted his position on his rock, but didn't remove his wary gaze.

"Toothless, come on. Why don't you get some rest? You've been awake for more than twenty four hours by now, and I think it's starting to take its toll."

No reaction.

Hiccup leaned back in bed, sighing as he closed his eyes again and rested his head against his pillow. He wished for something to happen. Anything to happen. He'd even be grateful if Ruffnut and Tuffnut came over to rant on about their catastrophic ideas of burning places down, or listen to Fishlegs' detailed descriptions about all kinds of dragons for hours on end. At least those two things would be normal.

He suddenly found that his mouth was dry, and he opened his eyes back up to take in his surroundings. Shortly across the room was his desk with a glass of water placed upon it. If he could just get to it, quickly and quietly, no harm would be done. He wouldn't alarm his father or Astrid who paced the floor downstairs.

He shifted in bed, and slowly removed the covers from his legs. "I can walk a little with this cast on," he murmured to himself. "And it's not like I'm walking very far either. It's all good."

Hiccup began to slip his legs over the side of the bed, when Toothless growled at him, tensing up. Hiccup's eyes flicked upwards to his protective friend, and he sighed. "Bud, don't worry. I'm just going to get a drink of water."

"You're what?" Stoick's cheery voice startled him from the doorway, and the large man came bounding over. He flashed a grin at Hiccup. "Don't worry, son. I've got it for you." He took the cup of water from Hiccup's desk, and then handed it to the young man in bed, still smiling. "You should have asked if you needed something! I would have been here in a heartbeat!"

Hiccup bit the inside of his cheek. "Didn't want to bother you," he mumbled.

"Nonsense!" his father brushed him off. He ruffled the boy's hair. "Need anything else, son?"

 _Independence,_ Hiccup thought, quietly willing himself to keep his temper. He looked up at the Berkian chief, smiling weakly. "No… I'm good for now. T-thanks, Dad."

Stoick's face erupted into sheer happiness. "Of course!"

He left, and Hiccup, nearly at his patience's end, fell back into his bed with a dramatic thump. "I can't do this anymore, Toothless," he moaned, hoping the dragon would hear and understand what he was feeling. "Why is everyone so protective of me all of the sudden? I've gotten injured before. It just… oh, I don't know… and now you're doing it too, bud…"

Toothless grunted from the other side of the room, and Hiccup wasn't sure if it was in denial or in approval.

"Toothless, please. Can't you help me at least stand up for a few seconds? I'm going to go mad if I stay cooped up in this bed for the next few weeks." He turned his head slightly over to see the dragon giving him an unamused glare. He sighed. "Bud, please-"

"Hiccup! You okay?"

Hiccup nearly fell out of bed in surprise at Astrid's sudden query, but managed to steady himself and sit up before any more damage was caused. Sure enough, the girl was poised in the doorway, ready for action.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," he assured her. "Just a little bored."

Astrid's face lit up. "I could keep you company if you wanted!"

Hiccup, although he normally would have been pleased with the offer, now found himself wishing he hadn't said anything in the first place. "It's really all right," he tried to say. "I'm tired. I-I should get some sleep, right?" Astrid's expression flashed with hurt, and Hiccup felt his heart soften up. He couldn't possibly turn her down when she was just being helpful... "But… I guess I could manage a conversation or two before I do get some rest…"

"Great!" Astrid made her way over to Hiccup, and carefully placed herself on the edge of his bed. "So, how are you feeling?" she asked. "Does your leg still hurt? Can I get you anything?"

"Nah, I'm good. And my leg's fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Hiccup was getting a little uneasy with Astrid's intentiveness, and he swallowed.

"Are you sure you're sure?" Astrid pressed, leaning forward in worry. "Because Gothi left a few of her pain powders downstairs, and I can mix one up for you if you're hurting-"

"Astrid, I said I'm fine," Hiccup interrupted gently, although his leg was pounding. "If something was wrong, I'd tell you, wouldn't I?"

Astrid nodded, albeit hesitantly. She seemed to be battling with her thoughts when Hiccup attempted to speak again.

"What about you? How have the other Riders been?" he asked.

"They're fine… it's you I'm worried about."

Ignoring the last part of her statement, Hiccup went on. "Is training going okay?"

"We haven't trained since the accident."

"What? Why?"

"Because you're injured, Hiccup! We shouldn't be doing anything as fruitless as that while you're like this!"

"Fruitless?" Hiccup shook his head in disbelief. "Astrid, we're training with fire breathing dragons to help fight back against our enemies and protect Berk. If we don't keep our skills sharp, who knows what could happen? That's _not_ fruitless."

Astrid was quick to please, once again surprising Hiccup with her new attitude. "Okay, whatever you say, Hiccup… we'll start training again tomorrow, but I'll have to stop it early."

Hiccup's tone was suspicious. "Why?"

"So I can check on you!"

He exhaled a sharp breath. "Astrid… I have an overprotective father and a worried sick Night Fury by my side. I'll be okay without you for a few hours." His last words were a little forced, and he cleared his throat, unable to hold back the question that came flying out next. "What's gotten into everyone lately? When my father's not glued to my side, checking to make sure I'm okay, somebody else is..."

Astrid blinked. "Like who?"

"Like…" Hiccup ran a hand down his tired face, struggling to hold back his frustration. "Like you," he finished calmly.

"Like me?" Astrid's eyes widened. "Hiccup, I'm not like that!"

"You _weren't_ like that. What changed?"

"Nothing's changed."

"Then why are you, my father, and Toothless constantly checking up on me?"

"We're just caring for you, Hiccup! What's wrong with that?"

Hiccup didn't answer. He was too worn out from the arguing to pursue the subject any further, and leaned backwards, head pressing against the top of his bedrest. "I'm tired," he managed to get out. "Can I go to sleep now?"

Astrid pressed her lips together and nodded. She got up from the bed, backing away just so she could keep her eye on Hiccup longer until she reached the door. "Feel better soon," she said. "If you need anything, just call for me."

Once the blonde was finally gone, Hiccup let out an exasperated sigh. He wasn't too tired just yet, but sleep did sound like a nice release from the growing throb in his broken leg. Allowing himself to drift off, he slipped into a peaceful unconsciousness and let himself float away from the world.

* * *

Hiccup tossed and turned. When he finally woke, it was later that evening, and his leg felt as if it were on fire. When he sat up, his face twisted into distorted configurations with the burning sensations giving him so much pain.

"Dad!" he called out, though his voice was so raspy that the word was nothing more than a whisper. He vaguely wondered if Toothless had heard him, but assumed the dragon was asleep.

Hiccup pushed back the blankets. He was hot, and tiny beads of perspiration had dotted his brow. He needed a drink to cool himself. Even his insides felt as if someone had started a smoldering fire in them. He hadn't realized how badly his leg felt up until now. His head throbbed, and unexpectedly the room began to spin. His hands groped for something to cling to as he looked around, knocking over his mug on the bedside table and sending it crashing to the floor.

The thump of the mug brought Stoick from his seat at the dinner table downstairs. As he ran over to the staircase in a hurry, he nearly collided with Astrid who was equally as panicked about Hiccup's welfare as he was.

The sounds of someone falling drew their attention upstairs. "It's coming from Hiccup's room," Astrid said, racing up the steps and to the closed door of Hiccup's.

"Something's wrong," she whispered as she pushed the door open and stepped into the room. "Hiccup?"

Stoick was right on Astrid's heels as he followed her inside. "Son?"

"Hmm…"

"Over here," breathed Astrid, dashing to the other side of the bed.

Hiccup lay crumbled in a heap on the floor with his eyes pressed tightly shut. Astrid quickly turned Hiccup over so that she could see his face. It was pale and sickly, and his hands unconsciously twitched in his broken leg's direction.

"Gods, his leg must be hurting," she cursed, brushing locks of Hiccup's sweaty brown hair out of his eyes. "And he's got a fever, too…"

Stoick whitened. "Son!"

He bent over next to Astrid, inspecting his boy in horror. "We better get him back into bed before he gets any worse." The two picked the moaning Hiccup up, and carried him over to his mattress where he was carefully slid into place.

Stoick sat on the edge of the bed, taking Hiccup's hand in his. "Astrid, got get Gothi." As the blonde went off and obliged, he looked down at Hiccup, terrified of the reason why the boy was so sick. "Hiccup… can you hear me son?" He brushed back the damp strands of hair that had plastered themselves to Hiccup's brow.

Slowly, Hiccup opened his eyes. He could barely make out his father's face before him. "Dad?"

"Don't try to speak. Your leg must be causing a slight fever… I don't think Gothi set it right… now lie still, son. She'll be here to make it all better soon.."

Hiccup's eyes blurred with tears. "I'm sorry, Dad… I-I understand now…"

Stoick felt confused. "What do you mean, Hiccup?"

"You were j-just trying to help me… and m-make sure this didn't happen… I thought you were being overprotective… but now I'm sick, and I understand why you were so worried…" He shivered, and in a meek voice, repeated, "I'm sorry…"

Stoick felt his own eyes blur with tears. "Hiccup, you've got nothing to be sorry for. I'm sorry if I seemed too overprotective to you." He smiled gently. "But we're going to get you all better, son. I'll make sure of it. And this time, we'll do it the right way."

Toothless growled from the other side of the room, only now awakening. At seeing his rider's distress, he leapt into action, and valiantly pushed Stoick aside so he could comfort Hiccup instead. Hiccup laughed weakly, his fever making it hard to react. "H-hey, bud… guess you were right… not to let me out of your sight…"

Toothless grunted. _That's right._

"Just… go to sleep now, son," Stoick soothed. "Astrid will be back with Gothi soon. We'll find out what's wrong with you then..."

Hiccup's eyes began to flutter as sleep overtook him. "Okay…"

For the second time that day, the blackness overtook him.

* * *

Over the next two long, painful days, all Hiccup knew was that he was trapped in a world glowing with a feverish haze, and there were far too many voices speaking to him all at once. He wished they would stop, but was unable to say so.

Often, he cringed at the loudness of the tones around him, and tossed and turned about in bed feverishly. A few times he could make out Gothi's face above him… forcing him to drink a vial of medicine or bathing his forehead in a cold, wet rag… _Infection,_ he heard someone whisper...

His father's face came into view as well, though blurred and smudged... but it was still there… and he was speaking lowly to Hiccup, giving him silent words of encouragement before a jolt of pain running down his right leg startled him…

He went back to sleep.

When he finally woke up again, it seemed he had been sleeping for a very long time. His eyelids were heavy to open, and his head felt fuzzy and disoriented. When he managed to open up his eyes, his father, Astrid, Gothi, and the other Riders were looking down at him. Even Toothless had his head propped up on the sheets beside his legs.

"Welcome back, son," Stoick smiled, relief prominent in his features. "For awhile there, I... I thought I was going to lose you."

Hiccup forced a groggy smile. "Who, me? No... it takes more than a little broken leg to do that..."

"You had an infection," Astrid explained, her tone stone serious. "There was a cut somewhere under your knee that we didn't notice before, and it somehow got full of grime which caused you to get sick. If it weren't for Gothi, you… you could have died."

"I guess you're not as invincible as we thought after all," Tuffnut said sadly.

Hiccup yawned, finding himself tired again. "Well… I guess I feel better now…"

"Good." Stoick smiled. "Don't worry, son, you're going to make a full recovery." When Gothi hit him on the arm with her cane, he sighed. "Yes, yes, as long as you keep off that leg of yours. If you don't, you may just end up losing that one too."

Hiccup, smiling slightly at the joke, let his head sink back into his pillow. "I think I'll have to agree," he murmured. "And thanks… guys… you know, for caring for me…"

"Of course," Stoick grinned.

"I mean," Astrid said, "isn't that what you're supposed to do when a friend gets hurt?"

Hiccup's eyes twinkled. "Yeah. Just as long as they don't go overboard with it."

"Who? Us? Never." Astrid was grinning, though, and Toothless chortled with her.

And as Hiccup slipped back into a deep, healing sleep, he was consoled by the fact that things would be back to normal when he woke up the next time.

His friends and family really did care for him. This time, the right way.

So maybe… just maybe… caring wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

 **You likey? *wiggles eyebrows***

 **Thank you so much The Wizard Rider for requesting this- I loved it! And I hope you loved the whump too! :D Poor Hiccup, though. He thought he could get away with just a simple broken leg, but nuh uh. He wasn't going to get off that easily. Infections are the thing for him now! *cackles***

 **Also, in celebration of reaching 19 chapters… I'd like to thank you all for 80+ followers on Through the Hurts so far! It's been a wonderful journey through these past few months writing these stories for you all, and I hope you've enjoyed it just as much as I did! So, thank you:**

 **AnnieDragonGirl, CartoonLoverBecky, DaydreamingOnPaper, FanWriter02, Mbols2510, SunshineGirl14, animalsarepeopletoo, hannahdaspannah, katurdi, BloodCakeWithChocolate, BlueCookiesForRick, GlowingRivers, HiccupZain, XMoreMinutes, harrypanther, perses19, yesthenLucky9, prydain, 8XDreamCatcherX8, tanjaholm, Lovetoread89, Megalynn, Mei1395, Astrid E Lokison, PKWolf014, waytooobsessed, Sharawillow123, Silver-Fairy0101, WinnieThePooh89, Antox, CartoonPonyDrawing, Coeus123, jessygirl03, Gabrielly790, Bigcatsupercat, Darman700, PixelLight, QueenOfTheFans, httydlover1, WeNeedFeminism, WhereTheGrassNeverGrows, icy-rain499, Davinator10000, KelvinWang, StoriesHolic, HanikahTheWriter, CosaBella, CrazyWoman200253204, Imagine333, Emmycake, thewideblueocean, Didjey Distantales, tinka8tofo, DragonsNight, , Sparklesona, mossnere, Sealiman Dawtracker, PhantonDragon15, davidkevin384, Patsi24, thegoodthebadandtheugly12, anacruzcardoso2001, JusTiNSaNiTy, sevsnapefan, Bb9150, Kitty Katrona, maameabrono12, Haven Hina, ComSnow, ziddag14, luke payne, FairGamer, Nindragon, x1tears1x, Carayen, and Margasava2912**

 **As well as those who favorited it and graciously review!**

 **Okay, so, as always, if you have a request for a one-shot you want me to write, send me a PM or leave a review stating what you want. Don't be afraid to be specific! It'll help me all the more with writing. :)**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	20. RULES

**Before I get any further in** ** _Through the Hurts,_** **I realized something. I had never set up an official "rule" page. So, I'll make one now! Better late than ever, eh?**

 **So, for your one-shot requests:**

* * *

 **1\. They must center around Hiccup!whump, as the summary of the story says. :D**

 **2\. The rating of the one-shot can never go higher than T, even for blood and gore.**

 **3\. I don't write lemons, curse, or write anything else inappropriate, so please don't expect me to.**

 **4\. If you've requested more than two one-shots, please do not request again!**

 **5\. At least give me one to two complete** **sentences** **of what you're requesting. Otherwise, it just gets confusing for me, and I don't know what exactly you want me to write.**

 **6\. I only ship Hiccstrid. No other pairings, or main OC's!**

 **7\. All kinds of whump are welcome! I love father/son bonding, cousin bonding, Hiccstrid, etc., so don't be afraid of requesting whatever ya want, darlings.**

 **8\. AU requests are allowed! Just so long as they keep within the boundaries of normality.**

 **9\. Not really a direct rule, but PLEASE do not ask me when I'm going to get your request finished. Because I am always working on it. My request list is constantly growing, and I'll probably do them out of order sometimes, plus, I'm usually very busy. It takes a lot of time and effort to get it up. Writing a fic is a lot harder than reading it, so please be patient! ;)**

* * *

 **With that, let loose guys! Hiccup!whump is coming back, haha.** **See you next chapter!**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	21. Someone To Watch Over Me

**Someone To Watch Over Me-** Set shortly after HTTYD 2. With Berk needing a new chief more than ever, Hiccup is pushed past his limits. Only then does everyone realize just how hard he's been working himself. Requested by Nindragon

* * *

 **Heyyyyy guys, today is** **Nindragon's birthday! ****Go on, and please do wish her a good one. She deserves it for being the awesome person she is! :D Oh, and I'm SO sorry this isn't longer, but I'm not feeling too at the top of my game today, and school's been a menace lately, so I couldn't force out any more. *shrug* But the Whump is still there, so I hope that makes up for it. :)**

 **Ack, I know I haven't updated in like a month, but good news: I'll be updating more and more in the very near future! Fall break's coming up, and I'll try to get up a few more chapters during that extra time. ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Hiccup hadn't meant to fall asleep.

But, still, it had been a long past few days. He hadn't slept at all in what seemed to have been a week ago. Chiefly matters always were too important to ignore. Treaties with other island had to be renewed. And then there had been that scuffle in town today between a few of the villagers that he had to put an end to.

It had taken nearly a half hour to calm things down. Even then, he had had to jump into the fight and had taken some of the worst blows.

Now his whole body ached with the pressure of the day, and his knees had trembled as he limped towards the one place he knew he could find some peace and quiet: the forge.

By a stroke of luck, Gobber wasn't there, leaving the forge empty. Somehow, Hiccup had made his way into the back room, where he lowered himself tenderly into his chair and looked down at his old desk, where old papers and dreams laid.

Before he knew it, his head was resting on the hard wood beneath him and he was fast asleep.

* * *

"Hiccup?"

A gentle shaking on his arm. He grimaced, trying to shrug it away. He wanted more sleep.

No, it wasn't just a want. He _needed_ it. His eyes refused to open for anything.

"Hiccup? Babe, wake up…"

 _Astrid._

Suddenly, everything crashed down on him. What needed to be done, what had to be fixed, who he needed to talk to, where he needed to go…

"Mm…" He slowly lifted his head from the table, finding his eyes groggy as he blinked. "Ast-Astrid?"

Her face was hovering inches from his. Her eyes widened as she took in what he looked like. "Hiccup, gods... you look terrible."

Hiccup yawned, giving a small shrug. "Just a little… tired."

"No, Hiccup, you've got a huge bruise on your cheek, and your eye…" Astrid bit her lip, then moved her hand upwards until she was cupping his chin. "What happened to you? I haven't seen you at all today."

"There was a small fight in town earlier. It was nothing…"

He wasn't about to admit that he was hurting. He needed to be strong, fearless, unbreakable; a true chief.

"I wouldn't call this nothing." She frowned, observing him once again. "Hiccup, when was the last time you slept? Or ate, for that matter?"

Hiccup tried to recollect his last full night's rest and full meal, but couldn't. He shook his head. "I guess I've just been too busy to sleep well lately. I ate a little yesterday morning, though." He offered a weak smile, like that would change everything. "I'm fine, Astrid. If Dad could do it, I can too."

Her frown deepened. "So you haven't eaten since breakfast, yesterday? And it's noon today?"

"I guess."

"Hiccup…" Astrid's blue eyes met his green ones. "You can't keep on doing all of this. At this rate, you'll kill yourself!"

Hiccup flinched. He couldn't deny the truth of her words… but he couldn't agree with it, either. So he went back to his trusted line that seemed to always work in getting him out of trouble.

"I'm fine."

Astrid slapped his desk angrily. "You're not 'fine'! If you could just see yourself in the mirror…" She turned to him, expression softening. "Hiccup, believe me, you need a break. All of this chiefing, all of your work- it can wait. You have friends, you know. You have your mother, you have Gobber… you have me." Her voice rose. "We can help you, Hiccup. You don't have to do everything by yourself."

Hiccup lowered his head. "I can handle it. I don't want to force you guys into something you don't want to do." His head swam, but he shook it off. "Don't worry about me, Astrid. I can take care of myself."

"How can I not worry about you? You're as thin as a broomstick and have about as much sense as one too."

"Now that, milady, is a little insulting."

"I only speak the truth."

Hiccup yawned again. True, he admitted to himself, he could be a bit stubborn at times, but he was just doing what he thought was best for the village. His father did it, after all. Couldn't he?

Oh gods. His father.

How his respect for him had grown in these past few months. How had he done it? Gotten all his chiefing done and still had time to spend with his son, friends, and still had free time left?

And Toothless. He hadn't seen the dragon for a week now; an Alpha had responsibilities to his kind, of course, as so did Hiccup.

He rubbed at him eyes, finding his vision slightly blurred from lack of food and sleep he'd had lately. His left leg was starting to pound again, and he hoped another phantom pain wouldn't come on tonight. That was the last thing he needed right now. More problems.

Astrid suddenly let out a breath from above him. "Hiccup, we're going home. Right now. Come on, get up. You're officially on vacation until you start thinking clearly again."

He looked back up at her, sighing. "Astrid-"

"Don't you 'Astrid' me, Mr. Haddock. I am your future wife, for Thor's sake, and it is my job to watch over you."

She grabbed his arm, dragging him upwards.

But as Hiccup was forced to stand, although he had showed some signs of weariness earlier, his skin colour had been normal and he appeared to be healthy enough. Now looking at the pasty white skin that was sweating and clammy in the touch, Astrid was truly concerned about Hiccup's state of mind and health.

The chief's vision blurred, and he knew that he needed to sit back down immediately so the world would stop spinning around him. But why was everything getting so fuzzy? Why wouldn't his knees stop trembling?

"H-hurts," he managed out as his face and left leg began to pound relentlessly once more.

His mind decided that enough was enough, and he lost whatever pallor he had left. He felt his legs underneath betray him and lose all of their strength. They now felt like mutton and no longer had the willpower to hold him upwards. He felt himself start to topple forward but couldn't prevent the descent.

Astrid could see what was going to happen, and only just managed to grab a hold of Hiccup before he fell unconscious to the floor.

"Hiccup, oh gods, oh gods," she gasped aloud as she cradled his body, slowly lowering him to the ground. "Hiccup. Hiccup can you hear me?"

But Hiccup had fainted dead-away, and it didn't look like he was going to wake up any time soon.

* * *

Waking was painful, but there was a persistent voice in Hiccup's head that kept telling him that he needed to get up, so, quite unwillingly, he obliged and forced his eyes open.

Everything was a haze around him. He was still somewhere in the forge, he noticed, and Astrid was hovering above him. Was that Gobber beside her? And Snotlout? And Fishlegs, and even the twins?

"C'mon, laddie, don't pass out again," Gobber chided from above him..

Hiccup blinked. "What…" His voice was scratchy, and he coughed to clear it. "What happened?"

"You fainted," Astrid told him, her tone serious. "Hiccup, you see? You're not fine?"

Hiccup forced himself upwards, using his elbows to prop himself up. He was on a small makeshift cot, pushed away to the side in the forge. When he was younger, he had used to use this cot on nights where his father wasn't home and Gobber invited him to sleep over.

A pang of loneliness stabbed at Hiccup's heart. How he wished his father was here with him now.

"Astrid got us after she couldn't wake yeh up," Gobber explained. "Figured yeh were out cold. Now, 'iccup, what've yeh been doing to make yeh so weak lately?"

"I…" Hiccup trailed off, too embarrassed to admit that he wasn't strong enough to take on the responsibility as Chief alone yet. "I guess I…"

"You fainted." Snotlout was unable to stifle his laughter. "Hiccup, the great Chief of Berk, _fainted_ … oh gee, wait till the rest of Berk hears about this."

Astrid turned to him, furious. "He passed out from serve exhaustion and malnutrition, Snotlout! That's nothing to be laughed at!"

"Yeah, can you blame him?" Tuffnut clucked his tongue. "He's like a damsel in distress half the time. Needs constant watch over him."

Ruffnut brightened. "I do enjoy babysitting. Astrid, what d'you say? How much do I get a week?"

Astrid brushed them aside with a shake of her head. She looked down at Hiccup, her expression one of concern. "Hiccup, babe, you can't keep doing this to yourself. You know that. I know you're stubborn, but there _is_ a limit. And you've just crossed it."

Hiccup shifted on the cot uncomfortably. "I guess…. you're right." He sat all the way up, pressing a hand to his aching forehead. "I overdid it this time."

Gobber smirked. "Yeh think?"

"I probably should have asked you guys for help," Hiccup continued, looking at them all. "I don't know how my father handled all of this, but… I'm not him. I can never be as strong as he was… no matter how hard a I try."

Gobber barked out a laugh. "Hiccup, lad, yehr father couldn't run an entire village alone either! No, I helped him when he needed it, as did many other people. Even the strongest need help at times."

Hiccup released a shaky breath. "Then, I guess…" He looked up at them all. "Will you guys… help me with a few things sometimes? If you want to, of course. I don't want to pressure you into anything..."

"Of course, Hiccup!" Fishlegs exclaimed, waving it off like it was nothing. "I'll do whatever you need me to, you know that!"

"We'll do some stuff too," Ruffnut offered. "Just as long as it has danger involved. And fire. Ooh, can there be fire?"

Snotlout grunted, and crossed his arms. "I mean, I suppose I could take some time out of my busy schedule if you needed me for some important task you're not able to do by yourself. Only if I feel like it, though."

"And yeh know where to find me, lad," Gobber grinned, tipping his head.

Hiccup was suddenly overwhelmed with indescribable gratitude, and for once, he didn't know what to say.

"I-I just… thank you, guys. It means a lot," he whispered.

Astrid put a hand on his shoulder, and he placed his on top of it with a gentle smile.

"Ready to go back home, Hiccup?" she said.

Hiccup hesitated for a moment, but then gave a nod. "And I don't know about any of you guys, but," he chuckled, "I'm ready for a nap."

Astrid laughed, as did the others. "Well, I'll watch over you while you do," she teased. "I don't want you waking up and secretly going off to do another 'chiefly duty'. We'll get whatever you need done. We're your friends."

"That's what we're for," Tuffnut finished proudly.

"I know," Hiccup smiled, and he took them all in again.

The gang was together once more. His father may have been gone, he may have been the new chief of Berk, but life was still moving along, no matter how quick and difficult it seemed at times.

It was time to put his old world behind him.

So, he did.

And he stepped into a new one.

* * *

 **Reviews are VERY MUCH appreciated! Happy birthday again to Nindragon! Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**

 **(Update: Thanks for the critique, imagination-running! :D)**


	22. Protective Urges

**Protective Urges-** Hiccup takes a fall from Toothless. While he's recovering, Stoick learns what it really means to be a father. A happy birthday gift for animalsarepeopletoo!

* * *

 **Heyyyyyy, guys! So, yeah, more and more birthday fics lately. *laughs* Anyways, animalsarepeopletoo's birthday was YESTERDAY, but I couldn't get this up in time (which I feel REALLY guilty for... ), so here's some father/son bonding and some whump to make up for it!**

 **Anyways, Hiccup is his cute, young, little self in this one-shot, probably set shortly after the first movie. Just wanted to try out something a little different this time! Anyhoo, enjoy!**

* * *

Stoick didn't completely trust Hiccup riding this...this _Toothless._ And as it turned out, he'd soon have good reason not to.

But, of course, his son, being the reckless young spirit he was, wouldn't take no for an answer. Instead, he promptly set off to show Stoick that flying Toothless was entirely safe. There was no reason to worry, he insisted. He and Toothless were almost like one up in the air. What could go wrong?

And that was how Stoick found himself watching his son swirl about in the air, a few dozen feet above him. That was how Stoick found himself thinking that Hiccup's idea of "enjoyment" was something he clearly wouldn't have even dreamed of a few months ago.

"See, Dad?" Hiccup called down from Toothless's back, a slow grin spreading across his mischievous features. "It's fine!"

"Yes, well, it'd be a lot finer down on the ground!"

Hiccup fake pouted and resumed a dive with Toothless. The sight made Stoick's stomach lurch and, averting his eyes, he sighed. He'd have to have another talk with Hiccup later on about his boundaries of flight.

"Now, remember, son," he yelled back up. "I want you to take it easy! You're still getting used to that new prosthetic of yours, and I don't want any accidents!"

Hiccup slowed Toothless down to send a scowl his father's way. "But, Dad-"

"But nothing. You either fly easy or you don't fly at all!"

It was no use in arguing with the Chief of Berk, Hiccup mused to himself, and he nudged Toothless a little more gently than usual. "All right, bud. Let's do a barrel roll. Slow."

Chortling, Toothless pushed off through the air, traveling faster and faster until they were spinning.

"Hiccup," Stoick reminded in a booming voice.

Hiccup cringed. "Easy, bud, _easy_ …" He fumbled with the pedals, but his prosthetic kept on slipping off.

Without warning, Toothless started to dip downwards through the air. But the movement was not seen by either Hiccup or his father until it was too late.

Stoick could only watch in horror as the dragon lurched one last time and sent the unsuspecting rider sailing through the air. Hiccup hit the ground, hard, his head snapping against the impact. Toothless crashed beside him, but immediately stood afterward, albeit shaky,

Hiccup did not.

Stoick's face drained of color. "Hiccup!" he gasped, stumbling over to the spot where his crumpled son lay. Already a small patch of blood oozed from the back of his head and trickled down his neck.

The Chief knelt beside his son, eyes wide in horror, and dragged him upwards into his arms. "Hiccup? Can you hear me, son?"

Hiccup remained motionless, an almost peaceful expression covering his face as his chest barely rose and fell. This did little to soothe the worried father, who jumped upwards and set for home, panicked thoughts clogging his mind.

Toothless made a move to follow, but Stoick quickly shot him a glare, yelling, "Don't move, dragon. You've already hurt my boy more than enough!"

Stunned, Toothless watched, wide-eyed, as his rider was carried off, with him unable to do anything but sit and watch.

He could not claim a time when he had felt more useless in his life.

* * *

Hiccup was just beginning to stir when Stoick first laid him down on the bed, shifting about as weak moans escaped his lips.

Stoick pressed a hand to his son's forehead, caressing the troubled lines. "Hiccup, lad, can you hear me? Hiccup?"

Hiccup silenced, and Stoick felt his hopes fizzle out.

"Hiccup? Son?"

There was nothing.

Stoick bowed his head, praying fervently to the gods for Hiccup's well-being. _My wife's already been taken away by one of those Thor-forsaken dragons… now my son will too?_ Just the possibility of it sent a chill up his spine.

"Don't worry, Hiccup," Stoick whispered, his head reeling as he backed out of the room. "I'll be back with help soon."

Still, his son did not stir.

* * *

"Stoick, he's going to be laid up for some time." Gobber heaved a sigh, shaking his head. "Gothi had to take a couple of stitches on his forehead, but other than that, his head is fine. He's likely to have a headache for a couple of days, but that will pass. His arm was broken, in two places, but Gothi managed to set the bones and put a plaster cast on the arm. His ribs are bound so that he doesn't move about and puncture a lung. He's going to be one mighty sore young man for a good number of days so Gothi'll leave some pain powders 'ere for him." Gobber offered his friend a comforting smile. "He's going to be fine, Stoick. Apparently, to what Gothi says, he's a lucky boy. He could have easily been killed."

"I know," Stoick said in a whisper. "When he crashed, I thought he… that he..."

"But he didn't. And that's the important part."

Stoick ran a hand down his face. _But what if…?_

"Eh, speaking of which, where's the dragon?" Gobber asked, looking around for Toothless. "Hope he wasn't hurt in the fall. It'd worry Hiccup to no end if anything happened to that dragon."

Stoick stiffened, and he cleared his throat. "The dragon is fine, Gobber. He's… somewhere out in the yard," he muttered.

Gobber turned to him, raising his brow. "Yehr not… worried about him?"

"Why should I be? My son's injured, again, and it's all thanks to that beast!"

Gothi swatted Stoick's side with her staff. Rubbing at the sore spot, Stoick shook his head silently before returning his attention to Hiccup. His heart leaped to his throat as he re-examined the still, unmoving form of his son. Hiccup's face was so white, the bandages seemed to have more color. His slow breathing barely caused his chest to rise and fall, and Stoick registered the extent of the bandaging with worry.

"He should be waking up by now, shouldn't he?" he demanded and swerved back to Gobber and Gothi. When they didn't answer, he grew irritated. "Well?

"Pretty soon, I'm sure," Gobber assured him quickly. "Don't worry, Stoick. He'll be all right."

Gothi promptly nodded and busied herself in rounding up all her supplies.

"Now, let him get plenty of rest over the next few days," Gobber ordered, crossing his arms. "Keep him in bed, make sure he doesn't strain that arm or his ribs too much. See if Toothless cheers him up."

Stoick felt his face harden. "I'm not letting that dragon back in the house, Gobber. Not after what just happened."

"Stoick, it was only an accident," Gobber exasperated. "Hiccup, 'ere, is still gettin' used to the fact that he's got a fake leg. He probably messed up on those pedals of his and tumbled off." His expression softened. "Let the lad see his best friend, dragon or not, Stoick, or he'll never forgive yeh."

"I'll see," Stoick grunted.

"Well… I s'pose that's good enough for now." Nodding, Gobber and Gothi trailed out of the room, gently closing the door behind them.

Stoick's gaze fell back to his son, the moment of him falling to the ground replaying over and over again in his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut. This new type of worry was concerning him. Of course, in the past, Hiccup had always been in danger of being carried off or killed by a wild dragon, but now, the stakes were much worse.

Because now, Vikings could _ride_ dragons. They could fly just as smoothly as the beasts they rode. And it was all thanks to his son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Heir and Hope to the Harry Hooligan Tribe.

But… was this really all a good thing in the end? The dangers were far worse now. Unpredictable, even. Deadly. They meant trouble and pain for many people, including his son.

Maybe the ally with the dragons wasn't as good as it had first seemed to be.

* * *

"But why can't I see Toothless?"

"Because he's… preoccupied at the moment."

"Dad, I know he's not. He's probably worrying himself sick about me or… is he injured? Oh, no. Is there something you're not telling me?" Hiccup shot up in bed, but immediately regretted it as the hard pounding against his skull reminded him of his predicament.

"You lie down, young man," Stoick chided, wagging a finger in disapproval. "Toothless is fine."

Hiccup rested back against his pillows, giving a small sigh. "Dad, I know what you're thinking, and it isn't his fault. It was mine. I pressed too far down on the pedals, I caused us to crash." He shook his head. "And I'm fine now, Dad. Now, when can I see Toothless?"

"...once you've rested."

"I won't rest until I see Toothless."

Stoick rubbed his temple. "You, son, seem to quite like bartering." He sighed. "All right, you can see the scaly beast for five minutes, then I want him out of here so you can rest- _and_ heal. That's what's most important right now."

Two minutes later, Toothless was let back into the house and happily bounded up the stairs to Hiccup's loft. "Toothless!" Hiccup cried, throwing his arms (or _arm,_ as his broken one rested against his chest in a splint) out wide.

Toothless charged into Hiccup's embrace, and Stoick watched with a quiet grimace. "Careful, son, Don't overdo it…"

Toothless carefully licked the side of Hiccup's face. _See? Gentle._

Hiccup laughed. "I know, Dad. It's _fine,_ though. Stop worrying."

A pang hit Stoick's heart. _Stop worrying._ Wasn't that something Gobber had told him his whole life anywhere Hiccup was concerned? He had always been so reluctant to let go of his son and send him off into the real world, where all sorts of dangers lurked. Dragon training, for instance. He was sure Hiccup would be killed before the first dragon was let out of its cage. But Hiccup surprised him. He surprised them all. He did remarkably well in all areas, ranking at the top of the class. Gradually, Stoick's worry faded out.

But had it? Wasn't a father supposed to be worried about his own child? Stoick lowered his brow. Had he even been truly concerned about Hiccup when he was younger? Or was it all pretend, a ruse?

"...Dad?"

Stoick's head shot up, and clearing his throat, he offered a tired smile. "Yes, son?"

The joy was gone from Hiccup's face. He looked worried now, and even Toothless had slunk back into the corner in wariness. "Is… is everything all right?" Hiccup asked. "You just… kind of stood there for a second..."

Stoick nodded. "Just thinking, son. Everything's fine."

At Hiccup's dubious expression, he knew then that the boy had caught on that something was amiss. "Dad?" Hiccup repeated.

Stoick chose to ignore him. "Let's get you settled back into bed, now. It's past dark already, and you need all the rest you can get for tomorrow."

Hiccup reluctantly slid back into bed, his head pounding as he cast a look over at Toothless. He knew something was troubling his father. And for once, it wasn't just him. Was it Toothless? He frowned. It could be, but he didn't think that was the whole problem. After all, there was no reason to hold the dragon for any blame of what had happened. So, what was concerning him?"

"I'll see you in the morning, Hiccup," Stoick said, backing out of the room. "Call if you need anything."

Without another word, he was gone.

* * *

The worry was back.

The first soft pastel rays of morning light had just barely broke over the horizon, and it found Stoick Haddock pacing the floor of his room. Surely, Hiccup had rested nicely last night, he reasoned. The Chief had slipped a few sleeping powders into his son's drinks earlier that evening, which guaranteed a full night's rest.

So what was still eating at him? He had done all that Gothi had instructed him to. Checked Hiccup's arm, reapplied the bandages on his head, kept him quiet and rested, and even more. It just didn't make sense.

A soft sniffing broke his thoughts. It was coming from the hallway, along with a light patter of feet. Alarmed that Hiccup had wakened up already and was headed downstairs, Stoick threw his door open, only to find Toothless coming down the hall.

The dragon looked groggy if not anything else. Probably had spent most of the night lying awake, as he had.

"Toothless." Stoick sighed, his shoulders relaxing. He lowered his voice. "You know, dragon, you shouldn't be allowed up here without supervision. Especially after what happened with Hiccup the other day."

Toothless blinked slowly as if trying to comprehend what Stoick meant.

Stoick scowled. "Well, what is it, dragon? Is something the matter?"

The Night Fury glanced up at him with sad, bright green eyes. Stoick stiffened, alarmed at the intensity of the gaze. It almost seemed to say, _I'm sorry._ A desperate, sorrowful plead for forgiveness. Consolation, at most.

Stoick's eye twitched. "You're sorry for what happened, are you?"

Toothless only stared back.

Stoick sighed. "Well, I suppose it's not your fault any more than it is mine. Hiccup explained what happened, and I guess I should have forbidden him to ride you until he had completely gotten used to flying with his prosthetic on." He chuckled. "Youths these days."

Toothless chortled along with him.

"You're not half bad, dragon." Stoick folded his arms. "And if my son likes you, I suppose I'll have to get used to you sometime, eh?"

Then Toothless did something entirely unexpected. He _smiled._ No, not even smiled. He _grinned._ All his teeth sticking out in perfect symmetry; it was no doubt a grin. _Odin._ Not in all his years had he seen a sight like that.

"D...dad?"

Hiccup stumbled out from his doorway, auburn hair tousled from a restless night. His sleepy eyes suggested that he had only recently woken up, and Stoick rushed to his side. "You shouldn't be up, son. You know better than that!" he scolded.

Hiccup yawned. "But Toothless was gone, and I heard you talking to someone…"

"Nevermind that, let's get you back into bed."

"No, Dad. Wait." Hiccup took in a breath. "I know it's hard for you to accept all these dragons on Berk. Especially Toothless, _the_ Night Fury. And after what happened yesterday, I know you're more convinced than ever to send them all away. But you can't, Dad. You-"

"No, son. It's quite the contrary," Stoick interrupted, smirking. "Toothless and I will be getting along soon, I guarantee you that."

Hiccup squinted. "So you're not angry with him because I got hurt?"

Laughing, Stoick shook his head and wrapped an arm around Hiccup's shoulder. "No, lad. I'm just happy you're all right."

Again, that same pang of worry suddenly crashed into him. A protective urge. Something calling him to take care of his boy until he could stand up again on his own two feet. It was… a _father's_ worry.

Yes, Stoick reasoned. That had to be it. Over the past few years, he had just been too distracted to acknowledge it. But now, the urges returned. He wasn't going to let anything happen again to Hiccup.

Well, at least anytime soon. It was hard to keep a hand on that one.

Hiccup rubbed his eyes, yawning once more. "Yeah, me too." He drew in a breath. "Mm… I'm tired..."

Stoick raised his brow. "You should be. You've got a nasty head wound there."

"Do I? Oh, yeah… guess I do." Hiccup winced. "Well… I s'pose I'll be heading back to bed now..."

"Good. I'll stay with Toothless until you're up and ready to talk."

Hiccup smiled, pleased again with his father's warmness towards him. Ever since the Red Death, he had been unusually open. Any doubt from before left his mind, and suddenly he understood that befriending the dragons hadn't been a mistake at all. He had Toothless. He had his father. He had friends. He had all he had ever wanted.

"Hiccup? You all right?"

Hiccup looked up at his father and paused for a long moment. "Yeah, Dad. I just…" He hesitated. "I…"

Seconds later, he found himself buried deep within his father's arms, sharing the close embrace he had waited his whole life for.

And as for Stoick, as he hugged his son, he promised to himself that, no matter what, through thick and thin, he'd always be there for Hiccup.

A smile tugged at his lips.

 _Always._

So it would be.

* * *

 **Happy late birthday again to animalsarepeopletoo! Hope you enjoyed this one-shot, buddy, and have a great week! :D**

 **Reviews would be awesome, guys, so please don't hesitate to leave one. They really really really make my day. :) See you all at the next whumpy one-shot! Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


	23. The Angel Had An Axe

**The Angel Had An Axe-** When Hiccup is kidnapped by Viggo, wounded, and nearly killed, a certain blonde comes to his rescue. And she'll get him out of there… no matter what the consequences. Because what blonde doesn't have an axe to help her out? Requested by Funtasticme

* * *

Viggo towered over Hiccup, his dark shadow stretching even to the furthest corners of the damp and moldy cell. His voice was deep, yet eerily calm as he spoke to the captured heir.

"Well, what do we have here?"

Hiccup only glared back, lowering his brow in disgust.

Viggo smirked. "You know, it is extremely rude not to address your host. Especially after you've been so well cared off."

Silence.

"Have you enjoyed your stay so far, Hiccup? Do you need anything else? A blanket, perhaps? Food? Some water?" Not even bothering to pause, Viggo, laughing, went on. "It was such a delight when I got the news of your arrival. What was it again? Oh, yes… you gave yourself up so your friends could live." He raised his brow, suddenly darkening. "How _foolish_."

Hiccup finally decided to speak, unable to keep quiet any longer. "I wouldn't call it being foolish," he snapped back. "I'd call it being honorable. Of course, _you_ wouldn't know that."

Viggo's eyes flashed, and he slapped Hiccup across the cheek. "How _dare_ you speak to me with such disrespect, boy," he hissed. "I could've killed you the minute I heard you arrived, but no. I wanted to see what you had to say. But it looks like that same arrogance hasn't left you just yet."

Hiccup clenched his jaw.

"Of course, I won't kill you just yet, either," Viggo mused. "You are a formidable opponent, my dear Hiccup. It'd be a complete waste to kill you." He paused as if waiting for Hiccup to say something. When he didn't, Viggo shook his head, almost in a disappointed way. "What are you staring at?"

Hiccup considered this a moment. "Not much."

His words angered Viggo. The Grimborn struck out with his hand and slapped Hiccup even harder than before across the face, before repeating the process several times. "Don't be a fool, boy."

"I'm not. You're a big enough fool for the both of us."

"Watch how you talk to me. That tone of voice will earn you a beating with the whip."

That finally struck a nerve inside of Hiccup, widening his eyes. He'd witnessed how a whip felt a few times before and was not eager to repeat the process. The sudden fear that momentarily flashed in his eyes was not missed by his persecutor.

"My, my," laughed Viggo, cupping Hiccup's chin with his fingers. "What's this? Are you scared of me now, Hiccup? Do the thoughts of a whip ripping the flesh from your back make you fear me?" He chuckled. "At last, I found something that frightens you." He straightened to his full height and marched over to the iron door.

"Ryker," he called. "Bring me a whip." Then he turned back to Hiccup.

A minute later, Ryker, grinning wickedly, brought in the selected weapon and handed it over to Viggo before backing out of the room. His eerie silence made it all the worse for Hiccup's state of mind. Viggo uncoiled the whip and snapped it a couple of times through the air, never taking his eyes off Hiccup's face.

"What's wrong?" he mused as he snapped the tip end of the whip close to Hiccup's head.

Hiccup managed to turn his head just enough so that the lash missed his cheek. He glared up at Viggo, not trying to hide the loathing that he felt for the man. The whip snapped through the air again, and this time the frayed tip struck Hiccup on his left shoulder, ripping the thin material of his shirt. He winced but didn't react otherwise.

"Does it hurt?" Viggo taunted, popping the whip and catching Hiccup on the opposite shoulder. Hiccup bit down on his lip to keep from crying out and fueling his man's pleasure that he was obviously getting from torturing his prisoner.

"I can make it worse, Hiccup. I could force you to stand, and in a few minutes, have your flesh hanging by threads from your body." Viggo whirled the whip around and snapped it at Hiccup's chest this time.

Hiccup couldn't help but grunt as he pushed his body backward, but there was no escape. Viggo snapped the weapon again, this time it slicing across his cheek. He was suddenly dragged upwards into a standing position, arms locked behind him and his head in a collar that choked him.

The whip buzzed by his head. Viggo laughed. Hiccup heard the crack of the whip and felt the first sting across his back as the tip met his flesh.

He groaned softly and flinched, arching his back. It stung but didn't hurt. This was a game. Viggo was testing him.

The second sting of the whip caught him in the small of the back and burned worse than the first. He grimaced. When the third crack of the whip alerted him, he was prepared- or so he thought. The whip had left its mark across his back in the form of a wide, bright red welt that seeped droplets of blood. Hiccup, moaning, slumped down as far as his iron neck collar would allow.

The collar felt as if it were choking him. His hands, still chained behind his back, burned from where the lash had also struck. Once more the whip cut into his skin. Hiccup gasped, and then crumpled to the ground, heaving for air. His body slumped downward and was only held off the floor by his collar.

Viggo didn't stop even then. He popped the whip through the air, striking Hiccup on his shoulders and watched as the young man's body quivered and jerked in response. He raised the whip for the fifth time, about to strike once more when-

"Drop the whip, Viggo!"

Surprised, Viggo almost did just that. He swerved around and saw a figure in the doorway. Obviously female, blonde hair in a braid, spiked shoulder blades… and an axe raised high above her head.

It was none other than Astrid Hofferson.

And a very _angry_ Astrid Hofferson at that.

"Don't you dare hurt him!" she yelled. "Or I'll kill you! I'll kill you, and I'll enjoy every minute of it!"

Viggo laughed slightly, letting the whip drop to the floor. "Why hello, Astrid. May I ask, what makes you think that you can kill me?"

Astrid clenched her jaw. "Because when my friends are in trouble, I _help_ them." She shook her head. "Now let him go! I took out Ryker, so I can obviously take out you." She glared at him steadily. "Now move already!"

"I am much more interested in how you got in here," Viggo said, inspecting his fingertips. "Currently, we're in the middle of the sea on a ship barely recognizable to be one of Dragon Hunters. Did you break your oath to stay behind until Hiccup had arrived at my base? Did you, perhaps _, trail_ us?"

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "So what if I did? Now let him go. You're overpowered, Viggo."

"No. I don't think I will." Viggo crossed his arms. "You see, Astrid, when one makes a deal with another… they're not supposed to break it. I said I'd kill Hiccup if you followed us." His hand slowly snaked down to his waist where a sheathed knife rested. "And indeed I will."

Astrid was already barreling towards him before he finished, axe raised high and yelling loudly as she approached. Viggo calmly sidestepped the angry blonde as she grew nearer, much to her fury.

"Stay still where I can kill you!" she exploded.

Viggo only stood aside with a slight smirk on his features. "I'm afraid not, Astrid. Hiccup and I have plans, and it was very rude for you to interrupt them."

"I…don't… _care!"_

She lunged again, axe swinging high. Viggo dodged the blow again, fingering his knife. "Oh, you'll have to do much better than that, Astrid. Much better."

 _This isn't working,_ Astrid thought to herself as Viggo step-sided her weapon's path again. _He senses every hit coming… I can't keep using this tactic- I have to try a new one._ Her eyes flashed dangerously. _I need to be more like_ Hiccup. _Do something unexpected. Something that Viggo won't be able to retaliate against. Something… unordinary._

Taking a deep breath in, she managed to take the sharpest edge of her anger off, glaring at Viggo but not making a move to attack him.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Give up?"

"Not exactly," she scowled. "I'll… make a truce with you."

Viggo tutted disapprovingly. "I don't want a truce, Astrid. I want Hiccup to surrender to me. I want him to admit that once and for all, _I_ have won this war. Not him."

"I'll try and convince him," Astrid offered, though her thoughts screamed at her to say otherwise. "Just don't hurt Hiccup." She put on her best desperate look. "Please? I'll convince him, somehow. I know I can. Just please don't hurt him!"

Viggo seemed to ponder over this for a moment, which was all the time Astrid needed to swing the hilt of her axe at Viggo's head and then crash downwards. Viggo, unprepared for the blow, crumpled to the ground, not fully unconscious but too out of it to get back up.

Using that moment, Astrid rushed to Hiccup's cell, where the barred door was swinging wide open.

And laying inside…. bloodied, beaten, bruised… was the boy she had sworn to protect… sworn to bring back home… sworn to save...

Hiccup.

The color drained from Astrid's face. "Hiccup!" she gasped, stumbling to his side. He was slumped over against the wall, face deathly pale and lips blue from lack of oxygen. His chest barely rose and fell as he struggled to take in another breath. If Hiccup had been badly beaten before, it was nothing to the condition he was in now. His face was almost unrecognizable. His back was cut up and bleeding, from what she could see, his cheek was swelling from obvious hits, and bruises decorated his face. The raw skin on his wrists gave mute testament to his struggle to free himself from his chains.

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked in barely a whisper, slipping off his neck collar and then moving onto his bound hands. "Hiccup, can you hear me?"

A low moan escaped Hiccup's lips, and his head slightly turned.

"Yes, that's it, Hiccup… open your eyes, we don't have much time…"

"A-Astrid?"

Hiccup's emerald green eyes fluttered open, coated in a pained haze. He blinked slowly as if confused. "Where…" He coughed. "How…"

"Don't try to speak, let's get you up, okay?" Astrid gently slung an arm around Hiccup's shoulder, quickly pulling him into a standing position. He stumbled forward, but she grasped his shoulder and kept him from falling. "No, Hiccup. You can't walk on your own. Here, let me help."

Aiding Hiccup by allowing him to lean against her, the two hobbled out of the room, hearts pounding with fear. As they reached the doorway, a faint voice said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Astrid froze, a shiver running up her spine.

That was _Viggo's_ voice.

He was awake.

Hiccup had already looked behind himself, too dazed to fully comprehend what was going on. But his eyes widened at the sight of Viggo rising from the floor, a knife clutched in his hand as his eyes flickered in the low light.

"Astrid," he gasped, stumbling on his feet. "Viggo…"

"I know, Hiccup." Slowly, Astrid turned around, expression dark. "You're not taking Hiccup, Viggo. Not again." Her hand grasped the ax's hilt that hung from her side. "I won't let you."

A sneer crossed Viggo's lips. "You'll never stop me, no matter how many Dragon Riders you attain. I can assure you on that." Without warning, he threw the dagger at Hiccup and Astrid, the weapon sailing through the air at high speeds.

Hiccup sucked in a breath. "Astrid, look out!"

Suddenly, he pushed Astrid to the side, causing the blonde to stumble into the wall. And although the approaching knife didn't impale itself anywhere, it did graze Hiccup's arm before it skittered across the floor.

Astrid looked up at Hiccup in shock a moment after. "You saved my life!" Her eyes widened. "Are you all right?"

Hiccup panted, clutching his bleeding arm. "Yeah, but not for long." He nodded towards Viggo, who was approaching them dangerously. "We have… to get out of here…"

"I don't think so, Hiccup," Viggo growled. He reached for his second knife.

Not sparing another moment, Astrid grabbed Hiccup by his uninjured arm and pulled him through the doorway, and up the creaking stairs of the ship. The deck was mostly deserted, she saw as she peeked her head out. Stormfly was still thankfully hiding behind the cargo where she had left her, unnoticed. Only a few Dragon Hunters stood in the way of their escape.

"Hiccup, let's go!" She dragged Hiccup up from below deck, and the young man coughed weakly as he struggled to stand. Astrid's eyes flickered in concern. Hiccup, if anything, looked even worse. The strain he had been forced into these past few minutes must have caught up with him. "Are you okay?" she asked, helping him up.

Hiccup's face was pale and sweaty, but he still managed a nod. "I'll be… all right."

"You bet you will. If it's the last thing I do, you'll be all right..."

She aided Hiccup quietly over to Stormfly, the Nadder squawking in alarm at the sight of Hiccup.

"Shhh, girl," Astrid soothed, shaking her head. "We have to be _quiet_."

"Yeah, yeah, quiet," Hiccup muttered, stumbling towards the dragon. "Then we can attack the Hunters."

Astrid turned to Hiccup in surprise. "Hiccup, we're not going to attack them! You can hardly stand upright yourself, and we only have one dragon. How could we possibly wreck their ship?"

Hiccup's expression slowly transformed over to one of realization. "Right… hmmm…" He coughed again, a bead of sweat rolling down his brow. "Let's… let's destroy their supplies. Yeah. It's something!"

Astrid pursed her lips. "But Hiccup, you're injured."

"Nah… I'm okay…" Hiccup cleared his throat and shook his head. "Let's just do it, and then we can go back home… it'll be better if we just don't think about doing it first."

"Of course," Astrid said sarcastically. "Because the last thing you need right now is a rational thought."

"Right."

She sighed. "Okay... you win." She held up a warning finger. "But it's going to have to be quick, all right?"

"Whatever you say, milady." Hiccup was honestly in too much pain to care by now. "So… let's blast some things." He chuckled as he was helped onto Stormfly's back, shaking his head. "Blasting… Toothless is really good at that..."

"I'm sure he is," Astrid agreed, climbing on behind him. Hiccup was clearly too out of it to think straight by now. "Are you ready?"

"What? Oh, yeah, sure." Hiccup nodded. "These…. Dragon Haters-"

"Hunters," Astrid corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, Hunters… they need to learn a lesson."

Astrid nudged Stormfly's side gently. "Up, girl!"

The Nadder squawked, and then took off the deck of the ship, flying a few dozen feet up through the air before hovering over the Hunters. Men shouted in alarm.

"Hey, it's a dragon!" one yelled. "Let's get it!"

"Not today," Astrid muttered. "Blast 'em, girl!"

Stormfly didn't have to be told twice. Already jitterish from the Hunters' shouts, swooping down, she blasted several barrels of supplies. It didn't take long before the entire deck was in chaos… and then Viggo and Ryker appeared from below deck, both shooting glares out at the two riders before marching across the ship.

"Get them, you fools!" Viggo yelled, rubbing the back of his head. "Don't let them get away!"

"Time to go now," breathed Astrid, pulling Stormfly away. "C'mon, girl, let's get out of here."

And leaving the Dragon Root arrows and bola cannons behind, they did just that.

* * *

"Here, Hiccup, let's get you down from there. I want to check your injuries before we go any further…"

"What? No, I'm fine… totally fine..."

"Hiccup, you get _down_ from there." Astrid offered her hand to Hiccup, ready to pull him onto the seastack they had landed on if she had to. Her tone was not one to be reckoned with. "You're obviously not feeling well, are you?"

Hiccup shrugged, shakily slipping down from Stormfly's back with Astrid's assistance. His legs buckled, and he would have fallen to the ground if it wasn't for Astrid's quick reflexes. "Easy, _easy_ ," she chided, gently helping Hiccup down.

"I'm fine," Hiccup insisted.

"No one who's been whipped that day is 'fine.'" She folded her arms, inspecting the injured young man before her. It was with great relief that his wounded arm looked much better than before, but as for his back…

"I'm going to have to take a look at where you were...whipped." She bit her lip distastefully at the word. "And check to see if your wounds are any worse than before."

Hiccup sighed but nodded. "Fine. Just… make it quick. I want to get back to the Edge as soon as possible."

"And _that_ depends on how well you are, Hiccup. Stay still!"

Astrid moved behind Hiccup, looking over the bleeding lacerations on his back. She winced at the ugly sight of them before her eyes narrowed. How had Viggo done this? How could he be so cruel as to _torturing_ Hiccup?

"Astrid? Hmm… you done yet?"

"Hiccup, I've only just started!" A few minutes later, she bit her lip after a careful examination. "The marks don't look _too_ bad, Hiccup. How do they feel?"

"Sore…" Hiccup shifted his position uncomfortably. "But it was all a game, Astrid. A test." He looked over his shoulder, meeting her eyes. "He didn't want to really hurt me. Maybe leave a scar or two, but he was trying to test my endurance, my strength…" He closed his eyes. "Thank the gods you got there when you did."

Astrid smiled as Hiccup opened his eyes back up again. "Hey, that's what friends are for." She smiled shyly. "And, um… girlfriends."

Hiccup returned her smile with one of his own. "Thank you, milady. For everything."

"I'm just glad you're all right now." Astrid shook her head, scooting closer to him. "You _are_ feeling all right, aren't you? I'm not a healer, but…"

Hiccup nodded, cutting her off. "I feel much better. But… let's just stay here for a little while." He paused. "Y'know, to rest up, give my injuries a little more time to heal. Before we head back to the Edge, at least."

"The Edge?" Astrid scoffed. "Hiccup, your father demanded that I bring you straight back to Berk once I rescued you. He's worried sick. You were _kidnapped,_ remember? By Viggo. The cruelest man in the archipelago." She playfully punched him in the arm. "Plus, Gothi'll need to take a look at those battle wounds of yours. I know they don't seem bad right now, but looks can be deceiving."

"They're not serious at all…"

"I'm not taking any more chances with you, dragon boy. I'm not sure either of us could handle it."

Hiccup chuckled lightly. "Though I disagree with you, I have to admit… that's probably a good call."

"You got that right."

And as Astrid leaned into Hiccup's side, both staring off into the soft pastel sunset, Hiccup knew that without her... he would have died at Viggo's hands today. She had truly been his savior. His protector. His rescuer.

Because what savior of his didn't have an axe?

He smiled. Certainly not Astrid.

...but _that_ was a conversation for another day.

* * *

 **Hehe, well, I hope you enjoyed this one-shot! So sorry it took me awhile to get up, or if some parts are a little iffy- school's been a real monster these past few weeks. I'm running on borrowed time as it is. :)**

 **Anyways, it would be awesome if anyone of you could review. :D I love hearing what you guys think, and support is always welcome! Whelp, I best be off now. And don't be afraid to leave requests for me, guys- I love writing Hiccup!whump, and all of your requests are always so much fun to write!**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-thepurplewriter333**


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